Those Loved and Lost
by ivywatcher
Summary: Change is in the air after Sunnydale. What will they do? Where will they go? This story is dedicated to filling in the emotional holes left throughout the series, and to let the Scoobies get over the losses they've sustained, as they battle a new enemy...
1. Chapter 1

_**Dedicated To:**_

**Sarah**: The Buffy to my Giles, without whom I would be lost. She teaches me more through her actions and her heart than I could ever teach her with words. May she never lose her love, her boundless energy, or her sense of humor.

**Dana: **My brother in spirit, unconditional friend, and source of movie and Doritos money. Without his constant support and guidance, both emotionally and physically, I would be unable to cope with the world around me. What more could I ask for in a friend?

**Tharp**: Who deals with the reality of loss and pain that these fictional characters only scratch the surface of. Every day he comes to work to teach his students, he is a testimony to the fact that life goes on, even in the shadow of incredible loss.

This story is, more than anything else, dedicated to him and to people like him, who have faced the pain and grief of losing a loved one, and still wake up in the mornings willing to give life another shot. This is to the people who still light up the world around them, even when the light of their life is gone.

* * *

**Those Loved and Lost**

**Chapter 1**

_"Tears form behind my eyes,_

_But I do not cry._

_Counting the days that pass me by…"_

_

* * *

_

This hotel was much better than the last one. Tastefully decorated rooms, working cable, and a semi-clean pool out in the fenced-off back lawn all combined to make an if not ritzy, then certainly attractive atmosphere. But then, Buffy reflected as she trod lightly down the thickly carpeted, beige-colored hall, pretty much anything looked better than an old stained school bus full of restless, super-strong teenage girls. Still, the green wallpaper in that last motel…ick.

After another five feet or so, the hall opened out into a smallish, neatly decorated lobby. Buffy headed across the room towards the entrance to the buffet-boasting meal room, bypassing the small cluster of checker-outers at the main desk. She was hoping that she'd miss the morning rush of breakfasters at the buffet. She'd purposely planned her entrance to coincide with the few precious minutes in between the early risers' liquid breakfast binge and the sleepy latecomers' brunch. As she made her way towards her morning munchies, she couldn't help but notice her reflection in the mirror next to the door leading into the tabled area. She craned her neck to scout out the area—no sign of a crowd yet, and she indulged herself with a good look in the mirror; something, she realized with a shock, that she hadn't allowed herself since the collapse of Sunnydale.

The weary blonde that gazed back at her from the mirror didn't look any more excited about that memory than she herself did. Buffy squinted slightly, turning her head this way and that as she looked herself over critically. Her hair was longer, she knew, but since it was up in her standard-issue ponytail all the time anyway, it didn't matter much. There were some more lines around her eyes and mouth that shouldn't have appeared for another thirty years. She didn't think much about those either. Every other person in their little traveling band had the exact same problem, so it wasn't like she seemed out of place, looking and feeling far older than she really was. She had a new scar, as well. It ran across the right side of her forehead, barely visible. She hadn't even noticed it until Giles had pointed it out a few days ago, and it occurred to her that she had no idea where it had come from. But it was the eyes, more than anything, that really made her ponder just how much had changed.

Her first impression was that they were bluer than she remembered. She stepped closer to the mirror, now completely lost in this new self-analysis. Her second stare confirmed her musings: her eyes were most definitely less gray then when last she looked at them. Her face clouded over at the memory, the image of a blonde haired, ice blue-eyed man taking the place of hers in the mirror for just a moment. She shook her head and the image faded, to be replaced by her own reflection once more. She looked at her eyes again, glistening with contained moisture, and she realized that the gray tone had made a prompt appearance. Suddenly she understood why they'd looked so much darker last time she'd seen them. That time, they'd been stormy with tears as well. Later, she would blame her water-blurred vision for the fact that Giles snuck up on her and tapped her on the shoulder before she even noticed he was there.

"Gah!" She spun around, grabbing his arm and glaring good-naturedly up at him. "What, did some vamp turn you while I wasn't looking? Why the heck didn't I see you coming?" She gestured towards the mirror, then dragged him in front of it to prove to herself that her ex-watcher still had a reflection. Sure enough, the image of an amused, slightly sleepy British man gazed back at her from next to her own much shorter reflection. He raised an eyebrow at her, not losing eye contact with her in the mirror.

"Satisfied?"

She grinned, loosening her grip around his forearm and leading the way over to a table. "Not until I've had some serious breakfast. Chasing after all these girls, all the time…Xander wasn't wrong yesterday when he said the four of us hadn't gotten a decent meal in forever."

Giles hummed his agreement as he followed her over to the buffet, grabbing a plate and moving down the line next to her. "Speaking of, where'd the rest of us get off to this morning?"

Buffy gave a one-shouldered shrug, spooning hash browns onto her plate. "Last I checked, Will and Kennedy were sound asleep, and Xand's sharing with Andrew this time, so they were probably up until God-knows-when swapping Star Wars trivia."

Giles chuckled and held his plate out as Buffy forked several pieces of bacon onto it. He offered her a waffle with a raised eyebrow, and she accepted, rearranging her food carefully as he stacked several onto her plate. "And Dawn?"

Buffy poured syrup over his waffles, then her own, and headed back towards their table as she answered. "She's bunked up with Rona for the night. They were swapping makeup horror stories over Saturday morning cartoons when I checked in earlier."

They headed over to the juice bar; Giles selecting orange juice while Buffy poured herself some hot chocolate. Giles took an experimental sip of juice before continuing the conversation. "I don't envy Rona. Last time I ended up with Dawn she kept me up 'till one watching Bugs Bunny."

They headed back to the table, drinks in hand. Buffy eased herself into the chair across from Giles and started in on her waffles. A slight frown marred her features as she spoke around the food in her mouth. "Yeah, she did the same thing to me last week. What's with all the cartooning?"

Giles made a "one moment" gesture with his hand as he finished chewing, then swallowed and responded. "I imagine we're all allowed some frivolous slapstick after all we've been through, particularly us veterans." He gave Buffy a meaningful look with this last statement. She rolled her eyes and pointedly shoved another bite of waffle into her mouth to avoid commenting. Giles sighed and finished off his juice, gazing at her over the rim of his glass. "Really, Buffy, you should take the day off, enjoy yourself. God knows you deserve it."

Finally, Buffy swallowed and wiped her mouth with a napkin. She took several moments to respond to her ex-watcher's concern, and when she did her voice was quieter, more thoughtful than before. "I dunno, Giles. I mean, the girls still need babysitting pretty much twenty-four seven, and Robin is trying to figure out what he's going to do, and hey, _we_ don't even know what we're gonna do with the rest of our lives…" she trailed off at his affectionate, but thoroughly exasperated look.

He knew she was avoiding the real issue. He prompted her to continue with a gentle, "But that's not all that's bothering you, is it."

She smiled sadly at him. "Seven years and I still can't fool you, can I."

He grinned back. "Oh, you've certainly had your moments." He sobered slightly. "Now what's wrong?"

She sighed, pushing the remains of her food around her plate. "I dunno, really. I think that I think that if I slow down, I'll start…ya know, thinking about…stuff."

He didn't care that they hadn't really talked in over a year. He wasn't going to let her drop this any time soon. "Stuff?"

Buffy sighed again and finished off her last bite of waffle, pushing her plate aside. "It's just…I mean, everyone's all post-traumatic shocky and recovering, and we only have so much money for hotels, and we have no idea what we're gonna do with any of these girls, or any of the other Slayers that just popped up all around the world, and there's no more Sunnydale. I mean, it wasn't my favorite place on earth, because, hello, Hellmouth, but still, it was…" she trailed off, silently pleading with Giles to finish her sentence.

He smiled softly at her, understanding. "Home," he provided in a far-off voice.

She smiled back. "Yeah. Home. And then, then I'm not the Slayer anymore! I mean yeah, OK I still am, and before this there was Kendra and Faith, but…" she couldn't find the words again. And again, Giles filled in the blanks.

"It's not the same." The warm sympathy in his voice soothed her. She leaned back in her chair, rocking it up onto its back legs.

"Exactly." She paused, almost unwilling to continue. She knew that this next subject, the one really troubling her, was something that Giles wouldn't relish discussing. He read her intentions in her eyes and spoke before she could back out. "Go on, Buffy."

She gave in, her emotions spilling out faster and faster as she talked, unstoppable now after being bottled up for over two weeks. "It's just…he's _gone._" Giles didn't ask whom she was referring to. They both knew, though neither had yet worked up the courage to speak his name aloud. Buffy took a deep, shaky breath. "He's dead. I can't think about it too long…and when I do I don't really believe it. I mean I keep waiting for him to waltz through the door with some smart-aleck comment…" she looked around the brightly lit lobby and amended her statement. "OK, well maybe not here, because, ya know, sunlight and everything." She gestured vaguely towards the east-facing windows, which were letting in the golden rays of early morning sunlight. As she paused to collect herself, Giles moved into the chair next to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Buffy looked up at him, realizing it was the most contact they'd had since…she racked her memory. Since the day she'd come back from the dead, the second time.

She took a moment to really look at Giles, her oldest friend and confidant, and she realized with a startle that he'd barely changed from that man who ran into the Magic Box two years ago. No, she silently corrected herself, that wasn't quite right. He _had_ changed. As she swept her gaze across his familiar, careworn face, she spotted a few new worry lines that hadn't been there before. His eyes were different, too. Just as green as always, but more…tired. And, strangely, more at peace than Buffy could remember ever seeing them before. She finally noticed his bemused expression, and it was so comforting, so familiar, that she finally broke down. Her tears began to fall in earnest, and she silently thanked whatever deity was listening that the room was otherwise devoid of people.

The complete lack of audience was probably what compelled Giles to instigate the most physical contact they'd experienced in their entire personal history. Without a word, he pulled his chair closer, until they were knee to knee. The hand on her shoulder moved to the small of her back, urging her out of her seat and into his embrace. She collapsed into his lap, her head against his chest as she let the shuddering sobs take their course through her small frame.

The embrace was far from romantic, but it certainly wasn't paternal, either. It was comforting and healing at the same time: a renewal of an old trust too long neglected. Buffy knew they had to look ridiculous, squished into one chair, soaked with tears, but she didn't care. All she cared about was sharing this burden that was too heavy to bear alone, relieving even just a portion of this pain that tore through her heart.

After a few minutes (during which the room continued to remain completely empty besides the two of them), Buffy continued to sob, and Giles continued to hold her. It never occurred to either of them that at any other time in their history, this much contact would have been not only inappropriate, but also downright awkward.

Finally, Buffy pulled back, needing to tell him, tell _anyone_ the secret she'd kept since the day Sunnydale bit the dust. Her voice, forced through her tear-clogged throat, was quiet, sorrow-laden, and more than a little shaky. "I-I…" Giles shushed her softly, but she shook her head and tried again. Determined, desperate to finally get this out. "I told him I loved him. Spike, before he…d-died. I-I told him I loved him, and he didn't believe me."

It was the first time since Sunnydale that anyone had spoken his name, at least in Buffy's presence. Just the action of forming the sounds was therapeutic to Buffy. She could feel a physical weight lift from her shoulders, as much from hearing Spike's name aloud as from the actual confession.

Buffy didn't look up for several moments, so she missed the emotions that danced across Giles' expressive eyes. Shock, resignation, and a brief flare of anger followed each other in quick succession. His face clouded with grief on behalf of his Slayer, and for once he didn't check his emotions. When Buffy finally made eye contact with him, the only things she saw were sorrow on her behalf, and the same unwavering support he'd always given her. When he spoke, his voice was gentle. "I'm truly sorry, Buffy…for both of you."

Buffy moved back into her chair, looking at him in undisguised disbelief. "Really?"

He winced at the look on her face. He knew that he had never been Spike's biggest advocate…or even his most mild one. He'd never trusted the vampire, and he had voiced his disapproval in no uncertain terms. But now, as he gazed at the one person he cared about more than any other as she grieved for the man she lost, his anger and spite towards Spike's memory faded.

Memories flashed past his mind's eye too quickly to follow: Spike chained up in his bathtub, yelling to be allowed to watch "Passions"…Spike giving them all a lecture about conquering nations, only to turn around and yell an apology at the rampaging war chief…Spike talking Angelus out of killing him…Spike standing in the kitchen, oblivious to the potential Slayers and others in the room as he railed at Giles, furious on behalf of Buffy. The fights, the petty insults, the sniping, and the fury all blurred together in Giles' mind until everything was just a swirl of color and noise and memory.

Suddenly, the whirlwind of thought stopped. Giles' impressive mind was coming to a conclusion that had eluded him for over five years. Through the filter of his experiences, the ex-Watcher watched in amazement as the one piece of the puzzle he had missed for all this time fell into place.

_Love. _For _Buffy._

The one thing that Giles had been sure the vampire had never really possessed. The one thing that had irked Giles so badly, when he was confronted with Spike's feelings for his Slayer. The one thing that bound the two of them together, as Watcher and vampire, day and night, good and evil…alive and dead. Giles stared at Buffy, and understood. And for the first time, he could give her an honest reply when it came to Spike.

"Yes, Buffy. I really am."

* * *

**Author's Note: I don't own any of the characters (too bad, really. They all would have been much happier at the end of the show and Spike would've been toast half way through year three. Ah well.) I also don't own the lyrics at the beginning of the chapter. (Michelle Branch does. Which is good because I'm a horrible singer.)**

**Yeah, I know, it was pretty angsty. The next chapter will be too, but I think that it's necessary. After the sudden end in "Chosen", we needed the emotional wrap-up of a lot of things. The storyline starts moving next chapter. Bear with me, and please review! Flames are welcome, as long as they're intelligent. It's cold in Colorado, I'll use them to light my fire place. Cheers! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_Somebody once asked,_

_Could I spare some change for gas_

_I need to get myself away from this place._

_I said yep, what a concept,_

_I could use a little fuel myself_

_And we could all use a little_

_Change_…"

* * *

Dawn peeked through the doorway of the buffet room again. After a moment, she turned around with a smile-only to ram smack into Willow, who'd been standing right behind her. Dawn grinned at her. "They're done! Neither of them are crying anymore!"

Willow sighed in relief and grinned back. "Good thing, too. I don't know how much longer we'd be able to keep all these hungry Slayers away from their morning munchies…"

Dawn laughed and led the way into the buffet room. "Where'd you send them all, anyway?"

Willow shrugged. "I distracted the ones who're awake with the empty pool outside. Now that we've all got our swim gear they couldn't resist the diving board. But once they get done, there won't be a buffet in a five-mile radius that'll survive."

They reached Buffy and Giles and took the two unoccupied chairs at the table. Dawn gave her big sister a kiss on the cheek before sitting down. She took a moment while Willow babbled cheery "Good mornings" to take a look at Buffy and her Watcher, and smiled a little. You'd never be able to tell they'd just been crying their eyes out, except that Buffy's eyes were just a little red and Giles's shirt was a tiny bit more wrinkled than usual.

Buffy caught her sister's expression. "What?"

Dawn's innocent look fooled no one. "Nothing!" She looked over at Willow, silently begging for an escape. Willow winked. "You want some breakfast, Dawnie?" Dawn beamed at her and the teen jumped up to accompany the redhead witch to the buffet.

Buffy's eyes narrowed as she watched them go. "They know something."

Giles chuckled in agreement. "I'm afraid you're right." He joined her in watching the laughing girls at the breakfast bar for a moment, and then stood to refill his juice.

Willow's prediction about the Slayers had been right. As soon as the handful of girls at the pool were hungry enough, they barged in, Kennedy in the lead. Shortly after that, everyone else filtered in from upstairs. An hour after Buffy and Giles had walked in, the entire group was eating, laughing, and generally acting like they hadn't just averted the end of the world less than half a month ago.

Xander paused in the doorway to the buffet room. He was the last one in…again. Every event, every meeting, every gathering in the last two weeks, he'd been the last one into the room and the first one out. He spoke less and told even fewer jokes. He laughed every once in a while, and he smiled and encouraged and generally acted like the big brother that these girls needed him to be, but his heart wasn't there. It was lying buried with Anya in the crater of Sunnydale.

Xander had changed, and not just from the necessity of having to go around half-blind all the time. He barely noticed his missing eye anymore. He felt the bitter irony every time one of the others looked at his eye patch and winced. The wound they saw was the one he was least concerned about. The one that no one saw; the gaping, open, bleeding wound covering his heart, was the one that was slowly morphing him into someone he didn't recognize.

Willow had approached him more than once and tried to get him to talk, but even her famous Resolve Face hadn't made an impact on him. He just didn't care anymore. It wasn't that he didn't love his friends, and Willow in particular, but Anya wasn't there. To him, his life was now clearly separated by a big, inky red line. On one side, his life with Anya in it. On this side, his hollow existence without her. Everything seemed dimmer to him now, and not just because he was only getting half the light he was supposed to. The light of his life was gone, and because of that his soul was cast in shadow.

The young man snorted at the way his thoughts had begun to wax poetic and headed in the direction of the back of the room, towards the table where the Scooby Gang had settled themselves.

Now _that_ had been an interesting development, Xander reflected. A few days after the collapse of Sunnydale, Dawn had mentioned that the four of them: Buffy, Willow, Giles and Xander, had called themselves the "Scooby Gang," way back in their Sunnydale High days. The name had stuck, and before anyone knew what was happening everyone was calling them that. Now, it was the Slayers' title for their four-person command team. Xander wondered if the creators of Scooby Doo knew just how much of an impact that name had made.

Xander good-naturedly grumbled about the title, just like the other three of the Gang did, but deep down he liked it. He liked the fact that they were the Scooby Gang again. It had always been the four of them against the world, and now it was again. What little he still cared about, that was on the top of his list. That and getting a decent breakfast.

Now the others made a point of leaving room for the four of them to sit together, eat together, and whenever possible, bunk together.

Since there were no set room arrangements from hotel to hotel or even night to night, everyone had shared a room with everyone else by the middle of the second week. Even the couples (Willow and Kennedy and Robin and Faith) didn't share a room every night. It was a good arrangement that bred inside jokes, life stories and a general bonding of them as a group. But even with all the mingling, there were always four chairs available next to each other.

Xander dodged Robin (who was balancing several loaded plates), returned Dawn's good morning hug, and plopped down next to Willow at the Scooby table. "Morning, fellow cartoon characters!"

Giles swallowed his coffee. "Xander. We were just discussing whether to wake you."

Xander stole a piece of Willow's bacon. "Andrew threw me out. I was making fun of the Star Trek episode he was watching."

Willow raised an eyebrow at this. Xander sighed dramatically. "I kept telling him, the Ferengi would _never_ let Kirk just take that reactor. The episode is totally out of character! …You really don't care." Buffy offered him a one-shouldered shrug. Giles took the liberty of answering for all of them. "Not particularly, no."

Xander gave him a mock glare and stood up majestically. "Cretins! I'm gonna go eat so I don't have to be in your artistic-bashing presence!"

His exit would have been much more profound if he hadn't tripped over Rona's backpack three steps later.

* * *

By late that afternoon, everyone had disintegrated into couples and small groups to take their leisure. The Scoobies, by unspoken consent, ended up at a small glass-topped table near the side of the pool. Cold drinks and an appetizer platter took up most of the surface, except for where Giles had made room in front of him for a small green spiral-bound notebook.

Except for placing orders and the occasional laugh over the antics of Faith and Robin in the pool, the four of them hadn't spoken a word in over half an hour. Willow looked around at her friends. She knew why: the same thought was plaguing them that had been on her mind all day. They needed to decide what happened next. Things had to change. Especially in regards to a certain brown-haired, dark-eyed Slayer.

The redhead witch sighed. So maybe what was bothering her wasn't the _exact_ same thing that was bothering them…but then, none of them were dating Kennedy. Willow nearly smiled at the thought. It wasn't that she and Kennedy didn't get along. Heck, they got along insanely well. Kennedy was a beautiful, funny, witty, vibrant person. She was stubborn, willful, hotheaded, and generally so charismatic that she was impossible not to get along with. All in all, Willow felt privileged to know her and spend time with her. But that was just it: as much as Willow felt drawn to Kennedy, it was purely on a friendship level. Even the physical part of their relationship couldn't shake the feeling that they were just really good friends…who happened to be sort of dating.

And what made all of this even more confusing was that she had the feeling Kennedy felt the exact same way about her. They were going to have to talk soon. Willow's thoughts migrated back to the sounds echoing from the pool and the smells wafting up from the plate in front of her. She picked up a chicken wing and ate it without paying it much attention. She glanced over at Buffy and they shared a grin. Any moment now…

Giles cleared his throat softly to break the silence. Willow and Buffy's grins turned into light laughter. Giles never could keep quiet for long, and it never failed that he was the first one to bring up the big issues. The ex-watcher leaned forward and opened the notebook in front of him to the first page. His voice was soft. "I've…ah, been giving some thought as to what happens next…"

Xander gasped theatrically. "Our G-man thinking ahead! Now there's a shock!"

Giles glared at him from across the table. "Seven _years_, Xander. Seven bloody years of me asking you never to call me that, and you just can't restrain yourself?"

The young man grinned right back at him. "Seven years and it still gets your hackles up. And you expect me to resist?"

Giles sighed and continued his earlier thought. "In any case, I've been pondering some scenarios…just ideas, you understand, nothing definite." He handed the notebook to Willow on his left. She glanced down the page, recognizing it as a list of all the surviving Slayers and their basic information: phone numbers, addresses, email accounts…she turned the page and saw the same information on Andrew and Robin. That explained what he'd been doing during all those long bus rides. She handed the notebook to Xander, who gave it to Buffy after only a cursory glance. They all knew what was coming.

Giles took a deep breath as he accepted the notebook from Buffy. "As you can see, I've compiled a list of everyone's information. It'll be helpful to have no matter what happens, of course…" He trailed off, unwilling to complete the thought.

Buffy smiled sadly. "But you want to send them all home." He grinned ruefully at her, and nodded. "It seems to make the most sense…at least until we decide what in the world we're going to do with all of them. I don't know about you lot, but the organization of hundreds, if not thousands of new Slayers across the globe is not something I particularly want to deal with at the moment."

Xander nodded in agreement. "Talk about your scheduling nightmares."

Giles chuckled. "Indeed." He hesitated again, tapping on the open notebook. "It seems to me that it makes the most sense to send everyone back to where they're comfortable. And those of them that don't have parents to go back to have all been offered rooms by the sisters at the Convent."

They all murmured their acceptance of this. They weren't about to abandon even one of these girls to people they didn't trust. The Convent was a good alternative. After a moment, Buffy spoke again. "It's a good idea, Giles." She held each of the others' eyes in turn for a moment. "They can each go back to their hometown and start figuring out who the Slayers in their areas are. They can call us with the information about the new girls, start patrols in their cities, get a network established."

Giles smiled proudly at her. "My thoughts exactly."

Willow pondered a moment. "What about Slayers who show up in places we can't get to? Like Africa or something?"

Giles sighed. "I'm afraid I'm rather at a loss. The Convent is working on a spell to locate Slayers across the globe." Willow nodded. She'd talked with Sister Loman over the phone earlier in the day. Giles leaned back in his chair. "Until they're finished, we can't do much in that area. We'll just have to wait and see. But in the meantime, we'll have a relatively far-reaching network of Slayers that will cover most of the continents. It's a start."

The other three nodded, and Buffy even smiled. "It's a start," she agreed. They looked at each other for a long moment. This time it was Xander who broke down and asked the obvious question. "So…what about us? I mean, those of us who aren't uber-strong chicks?" Willow elbowed him. "Physically, I mean."

Giles looked at them seriously. "That's rather up to you lot, I suppose."

Buffy nodded. "Well we can account for a couple of them, anyway. Robin goes where Faith goes." They all stifled laughter at that. How more mismatched could a couple be? Buffy thought for a moment. "Anyone know what Andrew's plans are?"

Willow and Giles shook their heads, but Xander spoke up. "The kid's got nothing to plan _with_! He's got nadda: no friends, no family, no money. Without us he's just a bum on the street outside the nearest Star Trek convention."

Willow nodded thoughtfully. "I think we're stuck with him one way or the other. I mean we can't very well expect one of the girls to just take him home. I think we're all he's got." The redhead bit her lip and backtracked hastily. "I mean, if we even stay a we through all of this…"

There. Someone had finally said it. They all traded glances for a long moment, not wanting to talk about it even now that the subject was aired. Willow knew they had all been avoiding the time when they would have to decide if the Scooby Gang was going to stick together. They were family, sure, but where would they live? What would they do? Did it make sense to stay together when so much had to be done in so many places?

For a tension-filled minute, no one said a word. Willow and Xander traded looks and came to a silent agreement. _Let them decide._ They turned their gazes to Buffy and Giles…only to find them completely oblivious to all but each other.

Watcher and Slayer stared at each other, having a conversation comprised entirely of glances and feelings.

A smile. _We've come a long way, huh Giles?_

A sigh. _We certainly have. All for this. _

A nod. _To save the world?_

A raised eyebrow. _To save each other._

Xander coughed and interrupted the moment. As one, Buffy and Giles turned to him. Willow and Xander traded another look and then glanced to their friends again. Xander spoke hesitantly. "So? What're we gonna do?"

Giles turned to Buffy and raised an eyebrow, shifting complete responsibility to her in one smooth movement. "Yes, do tell."

For a long moment, the blonde Slayer gazed at the three of them: these who were her friends, her confidants, her support system…her family. Words spoken long ago echoed in her head. _I can't do this without you…_And, she realized, she still couldn't. She wouldn't. Her smile, when it came, was blinding in its intensity. She turned to Giles. "Just how much money do you have left?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"

She smiled happily. "Well we're going to have to find a house with enough bedrooms for all of us…and a training room and enough guestrooms so that when people come report they can spend the night-"

The rest of her sentence was cut off by Willow's happy squeal. Before she knew what was happening she was engulfed in a group hug. Their laughter sounded loud as it echoed across the crowded pool.

Faith levered herself out of the water to get a better look at the tangle of arms and legs that was the Scooby Gang, noble defenders of the world. "What's their problem?"

* * *

**Author's Note:****...I did warn you about the angst. Smashmouth owns the lyrics at the beginning of the chapter. What do you think so far? Review, whether to flame or praise. And thanks to Fairfax for the review. The next chapter will be up within the next few days, with any luck. I'm planning on introducing the new big bad. Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"_Take your knocks, shake 'em off, _

_Duck, everybody._

_You're gonna take 'em again..."_

_

* * *

_

Arizona in the middle of the summer was _not_ the place to be. Hot wind rippled across the horizon and made the old two-lane highway shimmer in the setting sun. The bar sat on the side of the road, dirty and tacky with its neon lights and its parking lot full of old beat up Chevys and Harleys. The thermometer read a scorching 101 degrees; at that heat it would take several hours for the blessed cool of night in the desert to set in.

This sort of weather without exception bred bad tempers and lots of drinking, especially in a dive like this. Drunken yells and cheers were already filtering out of the door of the bar into the darkening parking lot. It was going to be a loud night, full of cold beer and hot tempers.

It was the perfect place to kick some major butt and blow off some steam.

The young woman walked into the bar without so much as a wince at the drunken revelers partying around her. This was her kind of place. She took the last seat at the bar, in between a biker chick in red leather and a drunk guy in a cowboy hat.

She sized up the place while she waited for the bar tender to come take her order. The place could have been a set from any sleazy biker movie: dark corners, a jukebox, an old sagging bar and greasy-smelling food.

The bar keeper came to stand in front of her, polishing a mug on an oily cloth that seemed to be permanently stuck to his hand. "What can I get for you, Honey Cakes? Isn't your curfew up? Your parents would be mighty upset to know their precious little girl was in a dive like this."

The girl ignored the catcalls and jeers his comments produced. She pegged him with her blue-eyed glare. "Give me a Scotch on the rocks, Gramps."

The barkeep, who was in his mid forties, sized her up. She let him take his fill, knowing how she must look through his eyes. Some girl in her late teens, with short-cropped blonde hair, blue eyes, black clothes. She didn't look like the type who would go gallivanting around in bars looking for a good time. The nice thing about her schoolgirl looks meant that no one ever suspected that she was _exactly_ that type. The man finally gave in with a grin and went to pour her drink.

She turned in her stool to survey the rest of the bar, looking for an opening. There were normally lots of opportunities in a place like this if she just sat it out. The bar tender sat her drink down and she downed it in three gulps. As the glass clinked down on the bar, her opening presented itself. Two men seated in a booth by the front door started squabbling. They were drunk and not really able to defend themselves. She sighed and headed over. Not much of a challenge, but they'd have to do.

Without breaking stride, she walked up to the bickering pair and grabbed the one on the left by the shoulder. He turned towards her, leering obscenely. "What, doll? You wanna have some fun?"

She gave him a full three seconds to feel pleased with himself, and then she drove her fist into his grinning mouth. His buddy, who moments before had been ready to deck the guy himself, now took the offensive against her. His first swipe came towards her eyes, but she ducked and slammed his jaw with an uppercut as she straightened. His second punch, a messy left hook, missed her shoulder by several inches. She slammed her booted foot down on his toes. She took a moment to feel some satisfaction as he hopped around in pain, but in the middle of her entertainment she felt movement behind her: the first guy she'd hit had gotten up off the floor. Without pausing, she pivoted on her left foot, her right one coming up and nailing the guy square in the gut. She regained her balance with careless ease and watched him drop to the floor again, gasping for breath. She was mildly disappointed; she'd been expecting at least a mild workout before they both caved.

She turned around again to see at least half of the occupants of the bar coming at her, all big guys with drunken courage. Her face broke into a smile for the first time that night. The first aggressor didn't even make it past her first punch. The second one was catapulted backwards five feet into the bar, and the third one broke the jukebox when he slammed into it at high velocity from a kick. Stupidly, the rest kept coming.

In the middle of all of it, the blonde twisted and ducked and attacked. Her hair bounced as her head turned, and her knuckles started to bleed after coming into contact with so many faces and chests. One after another of her assailants fell before her, until the ones farther back started to stumble over the unconscious or writhing bodies of their comrades.

Finally, as she downed her eleventh attacker, the ones at the back wised up. There was a stampede for the door and into the parking lot. When the room finally cleared, the blonde stood in the middle of the deserted bar. For a long moment, she stayed there, shaking slightly from the violent energy coursing through her body, blood dripping from her chafed knuckles.

Then, she laughed. She laughed until she could barely stand, tears streaming down her cheeks. Finally, after several minutes, she straightened again and brushed the tears from her cheeks. Her bruised knuckles left thin trails of blood over her face. And then, without another glance, she walked out of the bar.

For a long, long time after she left, the empty bar rang with the hollow echoes of her laughter.

* * *

**Author's Note: Smashmouth owns these lyrics too. Sorry this took so long, but I wanted to wait until I'd finished the next chapter before I posted it. Four will be up very soon. Thanks to Dana for helping me peg down details for my villian, and thanks to all of you who are continuing to read this. Please, please review if you like it. I'll write more anyway (since when has public opinion ever stopped me?), but it's nice to know people care. So cheers, and be looking for chapter four by Thanksgiving.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_Goodbye to you,_

_Goodbye to everything_

_I thought I knew._

_You were the one I loved,_

_The one thing that I tried to hold on to…"_

_

* * *

_

Kennedy's bag was almost packed. Her poor duffle had seen better days. Its red canvas material was dulled and bleached by time in the sun, dust from the road and general manhandling. They'd been through some tough times, her and her duffle. That's why she still had it; she had outright refused even the notion of getting a new, shiny rolling suitcase when they all went shopping. She'd taken one look at all the glossy plastic covers and metal buckles and thought about the scuffed duffle sitting on the end of her bed at the hotel. She'd felt like she was…betraying it, somehow. Cheating on it. So the duffle had stayed, frayed zipper pulls and all.

Now, it was more than half full of socks, T-shirts and underwear. The dark-eyed Slayer sighed as she turned back to the dresser. She had three more drawers to empty. When had she gotten all these clothes? By nature, Kennedy had never cared about her wardrobe: T-shirts, jeans, and one formal outfit had always been enough.

She opened the bottom drawer, which was full of jeans of all colors and styles, and reluctantly admitted to herself that she would have to weed out the things she just wouldn't wear…or just get another suitcase. She glanced over at the red duffle, and she could almost feel its betrayed gaze burning into her. Turning back to the drawers, Kennedy exhaled moodily and started picking through the jeans. _Weeding out it is then._

An hour later, Kennedy finally lugged her duffle down the stairs and set it on the top of a mountain of Slayer luggage in the lobby. She had eventually decided on three pairs of jeans, two blouses and a skirt, along with the things she'd already packed. The bag bulged with the pressure of the clothes inside, and she'd been forced to put several pairs of shoes in a separate plastic bag. She felt little guilt over this; it was only temporary transport, after all.

The pile of bags, suitcases and backpacks stacked haphazardly at the bottom of the lobby stairs represented the total possessions owned by the survivors of Sunnydale. Most all of the girls were leaving today, whether to fly straight home or to other cities to get connecting flights. Nearly half of them were going to the coven in Bath. Those few left who lived in places far overseas or that Giles simply couldn't find seats for on the first round of flights would all be gone by the end of the week. All said and done, it was incredible how quickly they would all be going home when it had taken Giles and the coven so long to find them in the first place.

Kennedy pouted to thin air. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to lose these new friends, the inside jokes, the bond she shared with these girls. More than anything though, she didn't want to lose Willow. _Ah,_ said a small voice in the back of her head, _But did you ever really have her?_

Sighing in recognition of that point, the dark-haired Slayer pouted extravagantly and dropped to sit on the bottom stair. For the first time since meeting Willow, she let her instincts talk it out. Kennedy's logical side and her heart rarely agreed on anything. She normally solved this internal dispute by completely ignoring the logic and relying completely on her passion. But on this one occasion, she found her passion and her logic in complete agreement. Willow didn't love her, and really, Kennedy would be happy having her as just a friend. They needed to talk soon. _No,_ she amended silently. _Now._

Kennedy took a deep breath and went to find her girlfriend.

In the end, their conversation lasted about five minutes. It consisted of some apologies, explanations they both already understood, and one last misty-eyed embrace. They traded phone numbers and email addresses, and Willow promised that Kennedy would be the first to know when the Scoobies found a house.

Later, Willow would say it was the least "break" in a breakup she'd ever seen.

* * *

The first waves of Slayer departures were set to leave after breakfast. Buffy looked nervously at the folded piece of notebook paper in her hand and read the words for what felt like the thousandth time since they'd written it.

More to give herself time to stall than anything, she took a moment to just look at the way the letters flowed disjointedly along the lines of the page, losing herself in the way each of them shaped their letters. For some reason unbeknownst to her, they'd all used different colors of ink-maybe to make it clear who had contributed what.

The blonde Slayer smiled a little whenever she got to a place where all four of their distinctive styles of handwriting ran into each other, sometimes even in the same sentence. Willow's neat, dark purple cursive, Buffy's own bright pink bubble letters, Xander's orange-markered block letters, and Giles's felt-tipped scrawl. She had to squint to read his writing in places, since his left-handedness meant his letters slanted the opposite way of everyone else's. All in all, the paper looked like the notepads she, Will and Xand used to fill up with gossip and notes during biology class in high school.

Buffy took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and left her hotel room for the hallway beyond, planning to catch everyone in the lobby for a little speech time. Willow met her halfway down the hall. "Hey, Buffy!"

The blonde slayer smiled fondly at her best friend. "Hey Will." She glanced at the room Willow had just come out of, taking note of the conspicuous lack of brunette Slayer in the vicinity. "Where's Kennedy?"

Willow offered her a shrug. "Downstairs with everyone else, I guess. I think she's going with Robin and Faith to Cleveland." Buffy stared at her until she shifted uneasily. "What?" Buffy gave her a passable impression of Willow's own Resolve Face, and finally the redhead gave in. "We broke up. It's not really a big deal…"

Buffy sighed and wrapped Willow in a hug. "Yes it is. I'm _so_ sorry, Will."

Her best friend returned her embrace and smiled. "No, it's ok, really! We just sort of decided that we needed to go in different directions, that's all. We'll still talk and stuff, we just won't be…" she trailed off as she tried to find the appropriate word. "Well, we won't _be_ a 'we' anymore. But that's all right."

Buffy linked arms with Willow as they started down the hallway. "I've been doing this break up thing wrong. I break up with someone and there's pain and death and freaky portals that have to close. _You_ break up with someone and you go out for coffee together and exchange phone numbers."

Before Willow could respond, Xander rounded the bend from the lobby and hurried toward them. "There you two are! I was about to send out a search party. Andrew volunteered to check the girls' locker room by the pool, but I told him that if anyone had to brave that, it'd be me."

Willow linked her other arm through his and grinned up at him. "Making a sacrifice for the cause, Xand?"

He mocked a dramatic sigh. "The things I do for you two." He turned a little to look at Buffy over Willow's head. "All ready for the speech-making, Buffster?"

She sighed in response and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I don't see why Giles couldn't do it though. He's always been better at the speeches."

Xander shrugged and steered the other two into the lobby. "What, and let his Slayer miss out on the chance? Come on, they'll all be gone if you don't hurry it up."

They rounded the final corner into the lobby to find themselves in the midst of semi-organized chaos. Slayers were running everywhere carrying bags, desperately trying to find missing items, and trying to find their respective travel groups. In the middle of the lobby, Giles was desperately trying to find some sort of order. Looking haggard, he caught the entrance of his three friends and sighed in relief. He hurried over to them. "Trying to give this lot instructions is like attempting set fire to a nest of Hyuarg demons! Buffy, if you could…" he gestured helplessly.

His Slayer sighed and looked around for a clear spot to stand. She pushed her way through until she stood on the third stair up from the lobby floor, just high enough to see over everyone's heads. "Alright, EVERYONE QUIET! NOW!"

Instantly the lobby fell silent. The Slayers looked up from their different locations, and quickly gathered around the foot of the stairs. Giles stared at Buffy for a moment before clearing his throat. "Yes, thank you Buffy." He took a moment to look around at the young girls gathered around him. He couldn't help the small smile on his face as he started giving directions. "Right, if you'll listen up, please. We don't have much time before the first group sets out. You all know who you're going with, yes?" After a general murmur of agreement, he continued. "I've given each of your group heads all of your tickets and flight numbers and such. You all have information on everyone else, and you know who's in your area to call if you need help." His expression softened a little more, and he paused just a moment. "We'll see each other again soon. Let me say that I could not be more proud of you all. We didn't get the chance to know each other very well, but I could think of no other people I would rather have by my side at an apocalypse."

Xander couldn't resist breaking the tension. "Trust me, gals. From Watcher-man that's high praise!"

Amidst their laughter, Giles discreetly wiped his eyes and turned to look at Buffy. "Did you want to say something?"

Buffy sighed and took the piece of notebook paper out of her pocket. For a long moment, she looked at it. And then she sighed, folded it back up, and just looked around her for another beat before speaking. "We kinda had something prepared, but you all know I'm nothing if not spontaneous…" she glanced at Giles as they all laughed appreciatively. He smiled and nodded his assent at her. She grinned and turned back to the small crowd around her. "I won't sugarcoat it. These past couple of weeks … months…years, have been pretty hellishly bad. We've lost a lot of good people." Her face saddened as she made eye contact with each person. "Friends, family, acquaintances…soul mates. They've all given up their lives for this cause. Our cause." Dawn blinked quickly when Buffy looked at her. For several seconds the sisters just shared a moment of truth. Dawn understood that her older sister considered their mother Joyce another casualty of war, even though she'd been taken by natural means. The young teen nodded in agreement with Buffy's unspoken meaning, and her older sister smiled and returned her attention to the group.

Willow started to tear, and Buffy quickly looked away before she started too. "But we've made some new friends, too. And gotten back in touch with a few we thought we'd lost." Here she caught Faith's eye, and both Slayers grinned. Buffy found Andrew in the crowd next to Rhona, and gave him a small smile. "Let's face it. We don't really have a lot in common. We all come from different families and backgrounds and continents. But you know what? When it comes right down to it we're all the same." She smiled one of her 1000-watt smiles. "We all came here because we had a battle to fight. And you've all fought with more dedication and love than I could ever have asked for." Her smile softened to a saddened one. "And even when I didn't really deserve it, you gave your loyalty to the cause you had to fight for. You gave your allegiance to what was right. And there really is no higher praise than that."

She stood for a long moment and had to fight back tears. Finally, she continued. But this time, her gaze rested solely on the three people in front of her: her heart, her best friend, and her Watcher. She didn't smile at them. She just looked them all in the eye for a long time, until everyone else began to feel as if they were intruding on a private moment. But then Buffy spoke again. "Some of us have been fighting this battle longer than others. For us," (and no one needed to ask who "us" was), "it's been seven years. For most of the rest of you, it's only been a few weeks." She caught Giles' gaze and smiled sadly at him, and then found Robin in the crowd as well. "For a few of you, it's been a lifetime." She looked around again, taking in the familiar faces one last time. "In any case, this battle isn't over yet. You all know that's why you're going where you're going. It's to keep fighting. To keep protecting all the people who have no idea about the sacrifices we make every day."

She took a deep breath. "And I don't know about you all, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Buffy trailed off and looked at Giles helplessly. "I'm kinda out of stuff to say."

Everyone was laughing and crying and hugging, but she didn't notice. All she saw were the eyes of Giles, Willow and Xander, and the unshed tears in each of their gazes. As she descended the few steps to join them, Buffy felt for the first time in her life that she was finally, _finally_ done with fighting for a while.

Later, she would blame that absurd idea on the emotional upset of seeing off the Slayers as they sent them home.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so much longer than expected to post. But in between crazy scheduling problems, computer trouble and a badly needed rewrite of most of Buffy's speech, it just seemed the fates were out to get me on this one. In any case, I hope you enjoyed it. Michelle Branch owns the lyrics at the beginning of the chapter. So what did you think? Like it or hate it? Please do review. I'm (rather blindly) optimistic that I'll get chapters five and six up by Christmas, but don't quote me on that. In the mean time, have a wonderful holiday season. Cheers!**

**And to whoever posted that review mentioning that I've been using the word "convent" instead of "coven," thank you so much for pointing that out. Talk about a brain spaz on my part. For all of you who noticed, I'm terribly sorry and rest assured that I'll be using the correct term from now on. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_"Tell me that you'll wait for me,  
Hold me like you'll never let me go.  
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane  
I don't know when I'll be back again.  
Oh, babe, I hate to go."_

_

* * *

_

Faith, Robin and Kennedy's flight to Cleveland was the last to leave. Buffy went with them to the airport early Saturday morning under the premise of driving their rental car back to the hotel. This was, quite obviously, an excuse. In fact it was a rather bad one, as anyone who had ever seen Buffy drive could attest to.

They made general small talk as they waited for the flight number to be announced by the barely-coherent person running the intercom. Robin was on his cell phone, taking a last minute call from Giles.

"I'm telling you, we'll be perfectly fine. I have, as a matter of fact, flown before."

He paused and listened to what Buffy could only assume was an abashed reply. He grinned and answered. "No problem. I know you're all jumpy after everyone else. I don't envy you having to keep all of us organized." Another short pause ensued, and then Robin snorted with laughter. "You've got that right. Any city that willingly hosts the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame clearly has to be sitting on an active Hell Mouth." This time Giles's comment was significantly longer, and Robin looked pleasantly surprised. "Hey, all this time working together and I never knew you were a Bay City Rollers Fan! We were out of touch, man."

Before Giles could respond, the scratchy intercom announced that "Fshhkght 215 sskishs nsssskk boshkking."

Robin sighed regretfully. "Hey, I'm gonna have to let you go. Either they just announced our flight is boarding or there's a really pissed off Fyarl demon in here that just got very offended by what that lady said about his mother." He paused one last time for what was probably a goodbye. "Right. I'll call you when we land." Robin hung up and turned to Kennedy and Faith. "You ladies ready to start our whirlwind adventure to the greatest city on earth?"

The two Slayers exchanged raised eyebrows. Kennedy mocked surprise. "We're going to Reno? And here I packed outfits expecting the conservative capital of the Midwest!"

Robin grinned as he picked up his bag. "Oh, you've obviously never been to Ohio."

As they bantered, Robin gave Buffy's hand a firm shake. Without breaking stride or conversation with Kennedy, he headed towards the gate. After giving Buffy a quick hug and a wink, the dark-eyed Slayer scooped up her bag and followed.

Faith lingered behind for just a moment longer. She and Buffy looked each other in the eye for what seemed like a long time. Really, there was a lot to be said. These sisters-in-arms turned arch enemies turned uneasy allies turned friends really should have had a long goodbye.

It was somehow appropriate, then, that neither of them said a word. Faith picked up her bag, grinned at the blonde before her, and winked. "Catch ya on the flip side, B."

She was through the gate and catching up with Robin and Kennedy before Buffy even had a chance to speak.

Buffy stayed there until their plane had taken off. As it disappeared into the clear blue sky, she spoke to the empty air and hoped that somehow, Faith heard her. "I hope so, Faith. I really do."

A motherly looking woman came up and gently tapped Buffy on the shoulder. "I'm sorry miss, but I saw you standing here and I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

Buffy looked at her, and smiled. "Five by five."

* * *

**Author's Note: Yeah, it was short, but I liked it so much the way it was that I didn't try to add to it. I'm afraid that I think I had a bit too much fun with this chapter and the next one. Chapter 6 will be posted eventually. My computer is going in to the shop for a total harddrive wiping, so it'll be several days at least. In the mean time, feel free to review!**

**The lyrics are from the song "I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane". Pick your favorite rendition and artist, they all sound pretty much the same. Cheers! **


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

_"I took her to a supermarket.  
I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there.  
I said pretend you've got no money,  
She just laughed and said oh you're so funny.  
I said yeah? Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here…"_

_

* * *

_

The cold, hard ground beneath his booted feet gleamed in the eerie fluorescent light. Across the wide expanse of alien terrain, his goal gleamed dully in the unnatural ambiance. He shifted left and right, fingers itching to reach for the phaser on his belt, but he held back, knowing that violence wasn't the way out of this. The crowd of hostile entities around him were far from peaceful, but they were also dim-witted enough to let him slip through their midst unawares. He began to move slowly through them, not recognizing their strange language. Their second tongue may have had something to do with the fact that his Universal Translator wasn't making sense of their wailing and clicking.

Five yards away from his prize, his super-acute senses alerted him to one of the aliens-a shorter, pale blue one—as it began to move towards the same object he was attempting to reach. It was closer than him. If he didn't do some sort of dangerously cool, good-looking maneuver, it would grab his objective and his entire mission would be in vain.

In a daring move, he suddenly sprinted towards his destination: the medium-sized, pale orange sphere sitting on the table. With a few twists around protesting alien figures and a sudden dodge-and-duck combination underneath what he could only assume was the elbow of the pale blue alien, he reached the table!

Andrew happily picked up the last cantaloupe, gave the woman in the puffy blue sweater behind him a pleasant smile, and walked back up the produce aisle to put the spoils of his efforts in the grocery cart.

As he carefully wedged the fruit between a bag of nectarines and a giant can of tomato sauce in the bottom of the cart, Dawn appeared from the breakfast foods aisle and dumped an armload of granola bar boxes unceremoniously on top of the pile of food in the already almost overloaded pushcart.

"Hey! You're ruining my exact balancing system here," Andrew objected. He quickly gathered up the boxes and carefully stacked them on top of several "Bake It Yourself" pizzas.

Dawn sighed in annoyance. "What does it matter? We're just putting them into bags when we check out anyway."

Andrew sniffed haughtily at her and whipped out the grocery list Giles had given them with an air of proud disdain. As he checked off the last item from the list with his prized bright blue Star Trek Convention '02 novelty pen, he gestured for her to push the cart towards the checkout line. "I'm using an exact Vulcan technique of balance. It's the same one that's used for playing kal-toh."

His companion looked singularly unimpressed by this information. "Kal-whata?"

The spiky-haired young man sighed expressively. "Kal-toh! It's an excruciatingly difficult Vulcan game that requires intense concentration, an innate sense of balance and an inner calm that can only be achieved by those who follow the rigorous practices of the desert temples of Vulcan. And also you have to have these little metal stick thingies that bend into different shapes when you put them together."

Dawn's long suffering eye roll was completely lost on Andrew as he got distracted and moved out of the checkout line to pick up a tabloid from the rack next to them. "Archer's Enterprise is airing another season? What's our world coming to when the unashamed defilement of a beloved sci-fi franchise as respected as Star Trek is allowed to blatantly continue?" He sighed despondently and walked back to the younger Summers sister.

Dawn shifted nervously and tried to ignore the stares of the shoppers around them. Andrew, groceries forgotten, continued his tirade as the cashier helped her load her items into bags. By the time she fished out the wad of cash Giles had given her and paid the guy with three twenties, Andrew was beginning to wind down.

"It's no wonder today's kids are so into witchcraft and demons and vampires and stuff. What else can we expect when we're feeding them half-formed, badly written sci-fi ideas? They're forced to go out and create their own!"

The man behind them in line jerked a thumb at Andrew as he put his items on the running belt in front of the cash register. "Kid's got a point."

Dawn didn't hear him. She was dragging Andrew out of the store with one hand and pushing the cart (now loaded down with bags) with the other. Who needed Slayer strength when embarrassment gave her all the desperate muscle power she needed?

She gave Andrew the silent treatment until they'd gotten to the rental car and loaded almost all of the groceries in. As he helped her load the last bag of cans into the back, he sighed and broke down. "Look, I'm sorry, ok? I just got kinda super-geeky excited. Sheesh, your death glare is way worse than Giles's, and he's like the most uber-evil death glarer ever."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

She slammed the trunk closed, but right before she walked around to get into the passenger side of the car, she paused and grinned back at him. "You were right though. Archer's Enterprise totally sucks."

Andrew perked up exponentially and unlocked the car, eager to jump on this common ground. "I know it! The only part I like is that Vulcan girl T'Pol!"

Dawn made a face. "And I don't suppose that her tight little outfits have anything to do with that?"

Their banter lasted out of the parking lot and all the way back to the hotel.

* * *

_Blood blossomed through her dreams like ink spilling across a blank piece of paper. It stained and erased any other image, rewriting her story in crimson swathes until all she could see was twirling, mind-numbing blackness. Sounds and lights flashed across her tormented mind faster than any other could have followed. Screams, crashes and groans filled her senses in an impossibly confusing tirade. But she knew exactly where her mind was taking her. She knew the smells and sights that her traitorous consciousness brought before her, because it was the same scene that she relived every night when she closed her eyes._

_Even in her sleep she twisted and fought, blonde hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, desperate to escape this nightmare… knowing that even awaking would not grant her release. She tried to screw her inner eye shut against the images of blood and dust that filled her vision._

_And then it was over, and she was left in the black alleyway in the freezing rain, just like she had been when it had really happened, unable to stop the sobs that wracked her body. She did not try to wake, not for a long while. She knew that when she did, she would only relive it all over again every time she thought of him._

_Even though she knew this was only a dream, she spoke the same vow she always did. Every hour, every time she remembered that bitter night and the darkness and the anguish it caused, she gave the same promise she had that night, until the words consumed her thoughts and her heart. Until they became her waking obsession, burned into her brain and into the backs of her eyelids so they were all she could see or taste. "I will find you, Buffy Summers. And I will kill you for what you did to him."_

_In her sleep, she whimpered._

* * *

**Author's Note: Interested yet? Well if you're reading Chapter 6 I can only hope you are. The lyrics belong to William Shatner (now don't give me that look! He doesn't even sing in Common People. And sorry about the format, but is just not user-friendly. Hopefully it won't continue to add enters where I didn't put any.) I don't own Star Trek or any of its characters or themes. I do own my opinion, which is funneled here through Andrew. Art imitates life, right? Review and be looking for 7 soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_"But just before the dawn, I awake and find you gone.  
I can't help it, I can't help it, if I cry.  
I remember that you said goodbye."_

_

* * *

_

The plane landed in Cleveland almost two hours behind schedule. Robin followed Faith and Kennedy down the walkway from their gateway, conscious of the fact that several other flights around the world were landing in this very hour, holding other Slayers on the final legs of their journeys home.

He looked at his watch and groaned at the time: 11:20 pm. Sighing with fatigue, Wood realized the girls had left him behind on the way to baggage claim. Robin flipped open his phone and called the number to Giles's hotel room, knowing that with the time difference he was sure to be up.

Sure enough, the British man answered on the second ring. "Giles speaking."

Wood couldn't resist a tease, despite his low energy. "Ah, really? Sorry Giles, got your number confused with the hot girl phone line I was trying to call."

Giles didn't miss a beat. "Well I am sincerely glad Dawn didn't answer your call then. Really, Wood, what would Faith say if she heard that?"

Robin caught up to the woman in question. He bumped her shoulder and winked as he answered Giles. "She'd kick my butt and send me packing back to Sunnydale Crater in a box."

The two men shared a chuckle, and then Giles buckled down to business. "Your flight went well then?"

Robin gestured Faith over to him as he spoke. "Yeah. Our layover in Denver was about an hour too long for these feminine balls of energy you stuck me with, but we all survived." He spotted the car rental counter in the far corner of the terminal. "Hey, I'm passing you over to Faith. I have to find us a car. We'll talk later."

Faith grabbed the cell and turned slightly away from Kennedy to talk as Robin headed across the way to find them some transportation. "Hey G. How's it goin' back there?"

Kennedy sighed and turned away as well, both to give Faith privacy and to give herself time to think. Leaving had been the right thing to do. Coming with Robin and Faith was a great opportunity for her to make a life for herself. Being with the two of them guaranteed she would have friends always close by, and with Faith around she was sure she'd never lack for action. It was good to get away from Willow, despite the good nature of their parting. They would still talk. Kennedy sighed. Maybe if she kept telling herself that she'd start believing it.

* * *

Giles hung up the phone is his hotel room and flopped back onto a fluffy armchair in the corner with a sigh. It was eerily quiet now—the others had long gone to their own respective beds. The only sound was the drum of raindrops on the window pain. As he dressed for bed, he wondered vaguely how he'd ended up with a room to himself. They'd only kept the rent on two other rooms besides this one, and there were five other people. So unless two of the girls (for he couldn't imagine Andrew and Xander ever agreeing to bunk together,) decided to share a bed for the night, it was probable that his roommate (whomever it ended up being) would show up in a matter of minutes.

For a long moment, Giles considered waiting up, but then quickly decided against it. The bed simply looked much too comfortable to resist, and God knew he needed the sleep. Whoever ended up using the other bed was welcome to it, as long as they didn't wake him up. Less than fifteen minutes later, he was dead to the world. The rain outside continued unabated.

While he slept, Giles dreamed.

At first, it was only about random things: the usual clichés of walking through hallways, talking to people he'd never met and the general mental fallout of his busy day. All too soon though, his dreamscape morphed into something sinister. He was running through a tangled wood, but all the trees were blackened as if by fire. Shapes loomed on either side of him, both figments of his imagination and terrifying realities from his past. Blackness enveloped him until his mind focused on specific events. His many failures, pains and heartaches flashed past in no particular order with increasing intensity.

But as was inevitable with this sort of dream, his treacherous mind soon rested on the one memory he least wanted to relive.

He was forced to stand once more on the ground far below Glory's makeshift tower, and watch with paralyzing dread as his Slayer threw herself into a twisting vortex, taking his heart with her. The silent scream of anguish that had wrenched through him then repeated itself now, accompanied by hot, angry words spoken after Buffy's horrific death. _"I'm going back to England…" "Spike's a liability, Buffy. He refuses to see it, and so do you..." "It's time to stop playing the role of General, and start being one!"_

And finally, Buffy's voice resounding in his head: _"I think you've taught me everything I need to know."_

Giles twisted in his sleep, desperate to get away from his own mind.

* * *

Xander knew something was wrong as soon as he walked into the room a few hours later. He'd meant to slip in quietly and go straight to bed. What he hadn't counted on was Giles already being asleep. He couldn't remember ever seeing the man in pajamas, let alone in a bed (outside the hospital). The sight of him tossing and turning in the almost-too-small for him bed, twisting the sheets and covered with sweat, was enough to make Xander pause at the door.

In the seven years Xander had known him, it had never once occurred to him that Giles could get nightmares just like everyone else. He had always been the strong one, the composed one. Not the kind to be scared of something as childish as nightmares, but the kind that always helped everyone else with theirs. But suddenly this vulnerable side of the Watcher was a reality he couldn't avoid. For a brief moment, Xander considered letting Giles just ride it out, but he dismissed the thought as a cowardly excuse to run from another's feelings. The cowardly part of his mind completely agreed with his assessment. It still wanted to run.

Xander took a deep breath, thought of everything Giles had done for him in the past, and stepped over to the bed. The sleeping man's thrashing was getting worse; whatever he was dreaming about had to be a doozy. But then, Xander realized, didn't Giles have more material than any of them for nightmares? Steeled with new determination, the younger man reached down and gently took hold of Giles's shoulder. When that didn't do anything, he gave it a firm shake.

Giles woke up in full defense mode. Before his eyes had even opened, his hand went to the arm on his shoulder, twisting it to incapacitate the person who'd snuck up on him in his sleep. The person yelped in indignation. "Hey!" A second later his eyes opened and he released Xander quickly.

Giles leaned back on the bed and winced, rubbing his head. "Xander. Sorry about that, I'm afraid I don't discriminate when I'm woken suddenly."

His younger friend chuckled darkly and sat on the end of the bed, rubbing his shoulder. "You got that right. What, did they teach you the ninja-style approach to waking up in Watcher School?"

Giles smiled slightly and ran his hands through his hair, bringing his knees up underneath the covers to rest his arms on them. "No, I'm afraid it's force of habit really. My life has hardly been the kind to get breakfast in bed."

Xander was struck quite suddenly that Giles didn't seem at all uncomfortable with having someone else in the room, even on the same bed, even though he was in only his pajamas. In fact the older man seemed relieved to have the company. Xander wondered how much of the stuffiness they'd projected onto him over the years was justified, and how much he'd just put up with. He took another look at his friend…mentor…father? Close enough, anyway. He was all of those things, and more. He was Giles: Giles, who had always been there for him, regardless. Now it was Xander's turn.

"That must have been some dream."

Giles blinked and brought his head up to look at him. "What?"

Xander shifted on the bed to get more comfortable, turning to face Giles fully and crossing his legs. "You were having a nightmare when I came in. It looked pretty bad; you were twisting all over the place. That's why I woke you up."

The Watcher's visage darkened as he remembered his dream. "Yes, I'm afraid this was one of my darker ones." He sighed and let his head drop again to rest on his arms. His voice was muffled as he spoke into the blanket. "God, but I'd pay good money to get a night of dreamless sleep."

His friend smiled wryly. "Hey, if you ever have any luck with that let me know. I could use a couple nights of actual sleep too." He sobered. "You wanna talk about it?"

Giles made a face. "Not particularly." When Xander just continued to look at him, he broke down. Later he would blame it on his emotional state, but Xander insisted he'd just needed to talk. "It wasn't anything in particular. Just the dark and twisted path that's been our lives the past few years."

Still, Xander waited. There was more, and he was going to make Giles talk if it meant holding him down until he caved. Once again, silence did the trick. Giles continued, "Just-just all the things I never wanted to see again. J-Jenny, Angelus, the Mayor, Adam…" Xander didn't miss the reappearance of Giles's long abandoned stutter. His friend continued on, almost as if he'd forgotten Xander was still in the room. "Glory's tower…l-leaving." Giles sighed expansively, and suddenly made eye contact with Xander. "I hated to go, you know. Nearly talked myself out of it more times than I can count."

Xander winced. "It hurt that you just left. Both times."

Giles shook his head sadly. "I didn't know what else to do. The first time, you all didn't need me any more…or at least that's what I told myself." He looked Xander in the eye again, pain evident on his face. "I couldn't do it, Xander. I couldn't be the strong one and walk around that town every day pretending like every little thing didn't remind me of her."

The dark-haired young man nodded in complete understanding. "I think we got that. That's why we came to the airport: to let you know that we understood."

The Watcher smiled at the memory. "You lot nearly made me break down in front of countless strangers. It was rather unexpectedly good of you all to come see me off like that."

Xander shrugged. "We figured it was the least we could do." There were several moments of silence between the two men. This time it was Xander who broke it. "She was going to ask you to walk her down the aisle, you know."

Giles's head, which had fallen to rest on his arms again, jerked up as he stared at Xander. "_What?"_

Xander bit his lip and looked away. "Anya. At-at the wedding. She was going to ask you to walk her down the aisle, only she figured it wouldn't be fair to ask you after you left, since then you'd feel like you needed to come back…"

The older man closed his eyes and leaned back against the headboard. After another few moments of silence, his voice came soft and full of pain. "I should have been there." He straightened and looked Xander in the eye. "I nearly reserved tickets a hundred times in the weeks after I got your invitation. Not that that's an excuse, but I did want to come…"

Xander shrugged in an attempt to let bygones be bygones. "Hey, you paid for all the flowers! I mean Anya was totally head over heels when we got your letter. It was great." He paused, as if unsure that he wanted to continue. But it seemed to be a night for getting things out in the open, so he finished his thought. "It did hurt that you didn't come though. Or at least call or something. I mean I knew that it'd be hard for you to leave, if you came back…and I guess I kinda forgave you for it. It was just, I'd never really thought about the whole marriage thing before Anya, but I'd always just sort of figured you'd be there to help me out with the hard stuff, ya know?"

Giles's eyes had actually misted over. He managed a small smile and reached over to clap Xander on the shoulder, leaving his hand there as he spoke. "Xander, I've watched you grow from an obnoxious teenage boy with a good heart into a trustworthy, noble man that anyone would be honored to call a friend." His smile grew and became rather paternal. "Actually, you all rather surprised me by growing up when I wasn't looking."

The younger man grinned. "Yeah, well you were always the one looking out for us."

The Watcher smiled, and nodded. He removed his hand, but he locked gazes with Xander a moment longer. "I couldn't be more proud of you. _All_ of you. I hope you know that."

In the moment of "manly" sentiment that followed, Xander closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, warding off the start of a headache. Giles watched him again, but this time his face was softer as he thoughtfully appraised the younger man. For the first time he noticed the paler complexion, the slightly sunken cheeks, and most prominent the rings around his eyes. "You look like death, Xander. When was the last time you slept?"

The other man made a face. "I don't wanna think about it."

For a long moment Giles just held his gaze, not saying anything. And then he simply nodded and turned to the table at his bedside to scoop up his glasses. Xander knew that Giles knew exactly what he was going through. Suddenly, that was a comforting thought.

Xander looked at the clock, surprised to find it was almost five already. His stomach rumbled. "You up for some breakfast? The rain's petered out. We can go get some donuts or something. I saw a bakery up the road."

Giles smiled and moved to get up. Xander shifted off the bed to give him room. "Jelly donuts, perchance?"

Xander smiled back. "You betcha! Only the best for us super-manly men, right?"

Giles chuckled and stood. "Let me find something to wear."

The dark-haired man couldn't resist another jibe. "Welcome to the world of actual clothing, Giles. I guess back in your tweed days you didn't really have to worry about what matched. But then tweed kinda matches anyth—" The rest of his sentence was cut off when Giles threw a pillow at his head.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm actually ahead of schedule! Three chapters up before Christmas! This turned into much more of a male bonding session than I'd originally planned. I think it turned out well, though, and it was about time that Anya got some of her dues. Roy Orbison owns the lyrics. Don't ask me why I used these particular ones, they just seemed to fit. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with it this far-we've passed the thousandth reader! Woohoo! Feel free to review and have a very happy Christmas.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"_If your time to you  
Is worth savin'  
Then you better start swimmin'  
Or you'll sink like a stone  
For the times they are a-changin'_. _…"_

_

* * *

_

"_Rona Marie Hullen_!" The call came screeching out of the small Mississippi house with the intensity of a bomb-drill siren. Rona winced and reluctantly made her way up the dusty, well-worn path from the road, past the hammock and tall trees in the yard, and up onto the rickety old porch. She must have gotten sighted from the window in the kitchen. If her mother was already full naming her and she hadn't even officially gotten home yet, there was going to be hell to pay when Rona sat her down and explained what she'd really been doing at "summer camp."

Her mind flashed back to the desperate phone call she'd made to Vi earlier when she'd gotten off the plane, asking if she'd mind if Rona stayed with her in New Jersey if her mother didn't take the whole Slaying news well. Rona was one of the few Slayers that hadn't known about her calling years ago. Most of the other girls wouldn't even have trouble explaining to their parents where they'd been, or what they'd been doing. But on the other hand, Rona was one of the few girls who had grown up with her family. Almost all of the other potential Slayers had been removed from their homes at an early age to train with their Watchers. Rona considered those girls doubly lucky. She couldn't count the number of times growing up that she would've done _anything_ to get away from the house, including going to fight vampires and enduring a twenty-four/seven regime of intense physical and mental training.

The Turok-Han she'd killed in Sunnydale had nothing on her mother. Annabelle Hullen was a terrifying woman for all her short stature. She could clear a room with a single scathing comment, most all of which were directed at her only child.

Rona took a deep, cleansing breath and opened the screen door to the house. She set her worn backpack down by the door like she'd always done, shucked off her shoes and went into the kitchen to face her doom.

"Hi, Mom."

* * *

Vi sat at the dining room table with her parents. There shouldn't have been anything special about that, except that this was the first time in nearly six years that she'd been in a room with them for more than fifteen minutes. They'd come to visit her on holidays at the training facility of course, but they'd never stayed for dinner.

She poked at the pot roast on her plate again. After all these years, Vi had forgotten that her mother couldn't cook. She searched around for a topic and came up empty again. After they'd picked her up from the airport, Vi had told them everything that had taken place in Sunnydale: her training, her new friends, the collapse of the Hellmouth, the people they'd lost, and their plan for a world-wide Slayer network.

Her parents had listened to every word, smiled and given her a hug each, told her they were very proud of her, and sent her to her room to get some rest. That was three days ago, and they hadn't found any common ground since. Her parents tiptoed around her in conversation like she was someone they'd never met.

…But then, they really didn't know who she was, did they? She was a brand-new person since her time in Sunnydale. She'd found herself, and with it came a whole new slew of emotions and personality. Not to mention her super Slayer strength. She'd already yanked one door off its hinges.

Just as she opened her mouth to spout some mundane question like "So how was you day at work, Dad," the phone rang. Her mother got up to answer it, and after another moment she came back into the room, cordless phone in hand. "It's for you, Vi dear. A girl named Rona?"

Vi squealed with delight and jumped up from the table before she remembered her manners. "May I please be excused?"

Her father smiled at her and nodded, probably as glad to end their non-conversation as she was. She grabbed the phone from her mother and headed out onto the back porch. "Rona! How'd it go?"

"Better than I'd figured, actually," came Rona's voice.

Vi sat down on the old rocking chair on the porch and bit her lip. "What'd you tell her?"

"Everything. Like blow-by-blow, knock 'em down drag out everything."

Vi whistled appreciatively. "How long did it take you?"

Rona considered a moment and leaned back on the hammock in her front yard, one leg swinging off the side. "Maybe two hours. How about you?"

Vi made a face. "Two hours and forty three minutes. I only know because I was staring at the clock in the car the entire time I was talking."

Rona sounded surprised. "It took you that long?"

Vi started rocking the chair, comforted by the familiar squeaking noise it made. "My dad asked me to draw him a chart of who was related to who. He was getting confused when I tried to explain about Anya and Xander, and then he somehow got it into his head that Dawn was related to Willow, and not to Buffy. So I sketched a family tree thing so he could kind of see what I was talking about."

Rona snorted, laughter lacing her voice. "Did it work?"

Vi started to giggle too. "Yeah, it did. But he only let me keep talking after he'd looked at it for a long time and recited it back to me!"

The two girls laughed for a good two minutes before Vi finally managed to continue talking. "So how about you? How'd your mom take it?"

Rona heaved a deep sigh and looked up into the fading twilight. "She barely batted an eye. I sat there and told her every detail, and then she just sat and looked at me like I'd been talking about the weather. I thought she'd gone into shock or something, but then she just asked if I still had Slayer strength. I told her yeah of course I did, and she had me pick up the kitchen table to prove it."

Vi waited expectantly for Rona to finish when her friend trailed off. "And?"

Rona groaned. "She said, 'Well, that do explain some mighty odd things!' And then she kissed me goodnight, told me that I had no excuse not to do my chores now, and asked me to lock the door when I came in after patrol."

For nearly five seconds, Vi managed to maintain an appropriately supportive, understanding silence…and then she broke down laughing. A moment later, Rona joined her, the full humor of the situation hitting her straight on. Soon both girls were helpless with laughter, feeling more bonded than when they were in the same room.

Rona was just getting control of herself when a great _Thump!_ sounded from Vi's end of the line. Immediately forgetting her aching sides, the black girl sat up straight in alarm. "Vi? _Vi!_ What happened? What was that?"

Before she could panic, her friend's voice came back on, sounding sheepish. "Sorry. I fell out of my chair." Rona didn't even make it the full five seconds Vi had. Soon they were laughing again.

* * *

Ethan Rayne felt like screaming. The vampire brute behind him kept the sorcerer in a forced march down a gravel sidewalk along the length of an abandoned warehouse. The vampire had a handgun to Ethan's lower back, discouraging any thought of escape. His purple silk shirt was getting crinkled, and his hair was a mess. The incompetent minion was taking no care to spare his wardrobe, that was for certain. Bloody typical.

The sorcerer cursed his luck. At face value, this had looked like a good gig: do some research, write a spell to locate the new Slayers, and then hand over the done package to collect his well-earned payment. No such luck. He'd forgotten how much he loathed the state of Nevada.

_By Chaos, am I ever going to catch a break?_

They finally reached a door in the warehouse wall, and his vampire guard knocked three times. After a moment the door opened and Ethan was shoved inside. Eyes adjusting to the dim interior of the structure after the bright sun outside, he caught only glimpses of the rooms they passed. Most looked like storage areas. Others had been converted into makeshift sleeping quarters (for who exactly Ethan had no idea), and still others were fitted out as armories. The sight of so many firearms made him slightly queasy.

While his shifting moral compass had more than once brought him into positions where he'd been forced to use a gun, Rayne held a deep distaste for them. He was a sorcerer at heart: relying on the energy of magicks over machine. To see vampires in such close proximity with guns, especially the automatics that filled these rooms, was disturbing to say the least.

Despite his situation, Ethan felt a pang of loss. The archaic world of magick was slipping away; the end of an age was drawing close. Soon there would be no place in the world for people like him. He suddenly wasn't horribly upset at that notion. A world where the darkness of a vampire was comfortable with the cool, calculated sterility of an AK-47 was not a place he wanted to wake up every morning.

His vampire captor shoved him through a door at the end of a long, dark hallway. Ethan stumbled for purchase on the slippery concrete floor as he heard the door click shut behind him. The small room was lit by a single bare light bulb on a string, revealing a miserably dusty cot along the far wall, and a rusty sink in one of the corners. He turned on the tap and watched with morbid fascination as the water ran muddy with rust. Even his lovely cell in the Initiative had been in better upkeep than this. There, he'd at least had a photograph of a sailboat on the wall to break the monotony.

Ethan sat heavily on the cot, setting up a cloud of dust. _You're in bad shape, old man._ He looked around his cell again. _The end of an age, indeed._

Almost three hours later, footsteps came to a stop outside his door. Summoning the last of his dignity, Rayne stood to his full height, glaring imperiously at the vampire who entered. "About bloody ti-" His sentence cut off as the vampire's meaty fist caught him square on his left temple.

For some inexplicable reason, as Ethan hit the cold concrete floor, he thought fleetingly of Ripper. Then blackness closed in…and his tired mind surrendered to it.

When he awoke, awareness came slowly. Out of years of habit, Ethan kept his breathing deep and even while he pretended to sleep. It was much easier to assess this sort of situation when your captor didn't know you were awake.

From the dull ache throbbing in his skill, Ethan guessed he'd been out several hours. He cursed himself. _ Bloody stupid, walking in without a plan B. I'm losing my touch. _The floor beneath him still felt like concrete, but that didn't mean he hadn't been moved.

The cool flow of recycled, air-conditioned oxygen breezed over his face. _ Well well_. He had been moved then. He couldn't determine anything else with his eyes closed. There was nothing for it: he would have to "wake up."

Ethan cracked one eye open. Shadows and blinking lights assaulted his vision, and he squinted a few times until the image made sense. He was on his side, looking under what seemed to be an office desk. He stared at the colored lights of a computer; not the screen part, the…he tried to remember the word. The CPU, that was it. From the looks of it, the computer was on. It thrummed industriously to itself below the sound of tapping keys. Ethan blinked. _Hold the phone…_

Keys? No one was using this computer, as he was sprawled right in front of it. That meant there had to be another processor in the room. Now that he knew what to listen for he heard it from all around him: tapping keyboards. From the sound of it there were at least four, maybe five more computers in the room. Finally his notorious curiosity got the better of him. Abandoning the pretense of sleep, Ethan rolled onto his back and sat up. "Oh my _god_…"

"No," came a female voice with a barely discernible Southern twang from off to his left. "Only the beginning of a new age."

Ethan stood slowly and watched her saunter towards him. She stood barely shorter than him, with short blonde hair, cold blue eyes and an easy, confident manner. She reminded Ethan rather strikingly of the Slayer.

As he gathered his wits he let his dumbstruck gaze encompass the room. There was a massive electronic global map that took up the entire far wall. Computer consoles sat facing the map in banks, so the vampires using them could watch the screen. Hundreds of red dots moved around the map. For the first time in his life, Ethan Rayne was speechless. Or very nearly anyway. "What in Chaos' name is all this?"

The girl (for she surely couldn't be older than nineteen) smiled. It had a chilling effect on her face, hardening the hunter's gleam in her eye. "Interesting choice of words. This, my magically inclined friend, is the end of the Slayer line."

Ethan looked at the dots on the map again with new understanding. "There are more of them than I expected."

The girl nodded thoughtfully. "As you can obviously see, I no longer require your services in regards to a locater spell."

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow. Apparently this one didn't care much for small talk. "Then why, pray tell, am I here?"

She smiled that smile again and shivers ran up Ethan's spine. Nothing here was right: not the guns, not the computers, and certainly not the hard malice behind this girl's disturbingly chilly eyes. "You are here," she said softly, "to deliver a message for me." She held out her hand to shake and Ethan, getting the idea he didn't' have much choice, took it. She nodded approvingly. "My name is Brandi."

"Ethan Rayne."

Brandi released his hand just before one of his knuckles cracked. "I know." She made a "follow me" gesture and started towards a side door. "C'mon, Ethan Rayne. We have a lot to chat about."

Ethan took a deep breath and followed with one last look at the map.

He wondered if this really would be the one where he couldn't talk his way out of an untimely death. In a moment of unusually strong character, his resolve hardened. _No,_ he decided. _Not here, not in the midst of this…this abomination of technology. There's some fight in this old sorcerer yet._

_Yes, _came a small voice from the back of his mind that sounded disturbingly like Rupert, _But if you don't find a way out of this soon, no amount of fight is going to save you._

It was right, and Ethan knew it. He cursed vehemently at his luck, sent a quick prayer to whatever deity felt like listening, and hurried to catch Brandi up.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm terribly sorry this took so long, for those of you who have been waiting for this chapter. It's been a disturbingly busy month between finals, friends and a rather large amount of personal issues. But anyway, here it is! Thanks to all of you who continue to read, review and enjoy. The lyrics belong to Bob Dylan. Chapter 9 will hopefully be up before the end of the month. In the mean time, you know the drill: review and recommend! Cheers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"_Who are you?  
I wanna know.  
Oh Who are you?  
Yeh yeh,  
I really wanna know,  
Come on and tell me  
Who are you…"_

_

* * *

_

Pounding footsteps broke the relative quiet of a sleeping Cleveland street. The frantic teenage girl tore out of an alleyway near the end of the block as if the devil itself was at her heels. Never had that expression been more accurate. Her short red hair was mussed, her jeans were torn and her white blouse was ripped and stained with blood from a cut in her shoulder. She sobbed as she ran.

She'd only caught a glimpse of the man's face in the alley's dim light, but it had looked horribly distorted. When he had swiped at her, she had run without a moment's thought. She had no idea where she was, or how she was going to find home. Her cell phone was in her purse, back in the alley.

She didn't know that she had the strength to fight the monster chasing her, or even what it was. All she knew was that the man behind her had a horrifying face. She didn't know that the creature could be killed. Didn't know that she had, in fact, been destined to fight those of his kind.

All she knew with crystal certainty was that she was probably going to die, and she didn't know why. She made a sharp turn and sprinted for the nearest house, hoping against hope that even pounding on a stranger's door would be better than this.

The gunshot sounded in the quiet air, echoing against the row of houses again and again as lights turned on and people started shouting.

The neighbors rushed out of their homes as golden light spilled from windows and doorways, revealing the body of the girl face down on the McAllister's lawn…with a bullet in her back.

The police ruled it a gang-related murder.

* * *

Robin Wood found the article in his paper the next morning and slammed it down in disgust. "Faith! We've got another one!"

Faith cursed and came out of the bathroom of their tiny Cleveland apartment, toweling her hair. "That's it. I'm calling B!"

Robin tossed her the cordless phone and started for the door, paper in hand. "I'll get Kennedy." He crossed the cramped hallway of second-story apartment doors in two strides to knock on number 34.

It took Kennedy nearly three minutes to answer the door, and when she did her hair was tousled, as if she'd just gotten up. Robin winced. "Sorry, I forgot you were on patrol last night. We've got another one." He held up the paper so she could read the headline: "_Gangs Strike Again! Local girl determined 5th victim in citywide murder spree._"

Kennedy pouted. "Fine. But you're taking patrol for interrupting my beauty sleep."

Robin grinned. "Deal. I'm not threatened. I'm prettier than you anyway." He dodged her playful punch and they went back into Robin and Faith's apartment. Faith was already talking on the phone. When she saw them come in, she put the call on speakerphone and set it in the middle of the kitchen table. The three of them sat around it. Faith leaned in a little to make sure she could be heard. "They're here, B."

Buffy held the phone between her ear and shoulder. "Just a second, I have to find somewhere to put the phone." Xander moved the coffee table from the side of Giles' hotel room to a clear patch of floor. Giles and Willow arranged chairs around the table and the four of them sat, Buffy bringing the entire phone ensemble over and pressing the speaker option. The four sat down, and Buffy leaned in. "Alright, we're ready Faith. Go for it."

Robin took the initiative. "OK, there have been several murders around town in the last two weeks since we got here. All girls, all shot. The police have ruled them gang related."

Giles leaned over to the bed and grabbed a legal pad and a pen. "Yes, I saw mention of that on the news yesterday. Four girls, yes?"

Faith answered, "Five. A new one showed up on someone's lawn last night."

Xander winced. "Look, not to sound heartless or anything, but should we be caring? I mean yeah, it's bad that someone's sick enough to do this, but what are we supposed to do about it?"

Robin sighed. "I'd agree, Xander. Except that every one of these girls was on our list of possible Slayers."

Four sets of eyebrows raised as the Scoobies took this in. Xander whistled softly. "You mean someone's already going after Slayers?"

"It certainly seems that way," Giles agreed. He leaned forward a bit. "Wood, have you been looking at the news lately? There's been a string of murders across the country, and I'm willing to bet on other continents as well. There's reason to believe that what you're experiencing in Cleveland is by no means an isolated string of gangs."

Willow spoke for the first time. "Vi called in to report this morning. Two girls in her area have been found dead. She didn't know if either of them were Slayers, but she thought it was weird."

Giles cursed. "Rona mentioned something of that sort in her email as well, but I didn't think anything of it. It looks like this is going on everywhere."

They were so absorbed in their discussion, no one noticed when Dawn and Andrew edged into the hotel room.

In Cleveland, Faith leaned back in her chair, resting her feet on the table next to the phone. "How can these people be killing us off when we don't even know where half of us are?"

Kennedy shrugged. "They could be using a spell, right? That's how you found the potentials in the first place."

Giles sighed. "At the Coven, yes. But they haven't come up with a locater spell for all the new Slayers yet, and I can't imagine who else would have the power for a spell of that magnitude. Besides Willow, in any case." He smiled over at the redhead, and she grinned back.

Xander clapped his hands. "Well there we go! Will, fess up and promise never to do it again, and we'll pretend it never happened."

Kennedy's glare was almost palpable through the speaker. "Shut up, Xander."

Dawn's tentative voice came from the corner of the room. "But it's not vampires, right? I mean they wouldn't be using guns."

Buffy looked up in surprise. "Dawn, why don't you wait outside?"

Giles held up a hand. "She has a point, Buffy."

Dawn grinned triumphantly at her sister and sat down on one of the beds, Andrew following. Giles looked thoughtful. "It's very unusual for vampires and guns to come into contact with each other. As a matter of tradition vampires use archaic weapons. Since no gun can actually kill them, it seemed pointless to take the effort to learn about them. If these murders _are_ the actions of vampires, we're looking at a whole new breed. One that isn't afraid to embrace modern technology."

Kennedy shook her head a little, her eyebrows drawing together. Faith got up to grab a soda out of the fridge while her fellow Slayer spoke. "But how can they be after us? We just got rid of the First! Shouldn't anyone else be running scared from a whole new bunch of Slayers?"

"It sounds like it's the Slayers who have been running scared," Buffy replied darkly. She sighed and looked over at Giles. "I didn't think about this when we decided to use the scythe. There are who knows how many girls out there who just found out they have super powers, and no idea how to use them. And now we have to fight an enemy that knows where they are before we do?"

Willow reached over and grabbed her best friend's hand. "You didn't know, Buffy."

Xander's face darkened. "None of us did."

In both Cleveland and the hotel room, everyone was quiet for a long moment. Faith, Robin and Kennedy looked at each other. The Scoobies looked at each other. Dawn and Andrew looked at each other.

Andrew broke the silence in a voice bordering on a whine. "I don't get it."

* * *

"…Would you run that by me again?" Ethan stared at Brandi, trying to comprehend what she'd just revealed to him. It didn't make any more sense the second time he thought about it than the first time he'd heard it.

Brandi looked at him over the pitcher of ice tea on the table like what she'd just explained was the most rational thing in the world. _But then_, Ethan realized, _to her it probably is! _In the two weeks he'd been held in her complex, Brandi had showed disturbing signs of mental imbalance. In regards to Rayne, she traded off between politeness bordering on camaraderie and a sharp disdain. When it came to her vampire minions, she could turn from understanding commander to violent whirlwind in less than five seconds. Several times Ethan had been able to hear her furious voice through the thick door to his room as she berated (and often dusted) a crony who had disobeyed.

Today she had finally sat him down and explained things. He had no idea why she'd told him her plan. He had even less of an idea why she thought it would work. "Well…" he scrambled for a statement that wouldn't offend her. _Oh, to Chaos with it. She'll probably kill me anyway._ "That is quite possibly the most idiotic scheme I have ever heard. And trust me, I've been known for some extremely ineffective ones myself."

He shut his eyes and waited for the deathblow to come.

It didn't.

When he cracked his eyes open again, Brandi was regarding him with collected cool… and what quite possibly could have been amusement. "And why is that, Ethan?"

It was as if he'd disagreed with her on the merits of a cricket team. Ethan took a deep breath and started in. "You're doing all of this because Buffy killed your brother?" Brandi nodded. He took a moment to digest this, and then brought up the thing that was really bothering him. "Who was also a vampire." She nodded again, still unperturbed. "Who had been one for several years, actually."

Brandi made an impatient gesture. "What's your point?"

"My point," Ethan continued slowly, as if to a child, "is that Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. It is, in matter of fact, her job to stake vampires." The blond before him opened her mouth angrily to interrupt, so the sorcerer hurried to finish his thought. "Don't get me wrong, I can understand the vengeance aspect of things. Get back at the girl who killed your brother, whatever his associations were. By all means, go for it. But your plan goes rather…beyond that." He took a moment to judge her mood and found her on a low simmer, still listening. Rayne continued, "Your plan is to take out the entire Slayer line just to get to Buffy, whom you assume will instantly remember your brother and no doubt die begging for your forgiveness."

Brandi's eyes iced over again. "My brother was negotiating peace."

Ethan blinked. "Sorry?"

For the first time, the girl's face showed signs of vulnerability and pain. "He was going to a rally," she provided, the Southern twang in her voice rounding out her vowels. "He'd gathered support to try and sign a contract to make peace between the vampires and the Slayer in Southern California. The group outside of Sunnydale was supposed to be his first signature. I was with him, since he couldn't drive in the daylight. That night we were walkin' down an alley, mindin' our own business, and then the next thing…"

Dawning comprehension filled Ethan's face. "And the next thing, Buffy'd turned your brother dearest into a pile of dust." He sat back, still staring at her. What he was hearing went beyond irony into the realm of almost terrifyingly freakish coincidence. Leave it to Buffy to stake the one vampire that had her best interests in mind. "So how did you end up here?" He asked, making a sweeping gesture to encompass the entire situation.

"It wasn't hard to convince Laurence's followers to avenge his death," she replied, grinning humorlessly. "Most of them think it's still the right thing to do."

Ethan's brow wrinkled. "You don't?"

The glint was back in Brandi's eye. "I'm gettin' my blood, Mr. Rayne. I don't care about much else."

Ethan sat back in alarm, terrified understanding coloring his eyes. "You're insane," he breathed in horror. "You'll kill every one of those girls just to satisfy some-some petty bloodlust!" In the back of his mind, Ethan wondered exactly when he'd started channeling Rupert. But the unconscionable slaughter of just over five hundred girls, very few of whom knew their destiny, was an act that not even Ethan Rayne could condone, profit or not.

Brandi looked at him for a long moment, the ice in her eyes flooding into Ethan's veins until the room almost felt cold. After another beat the southern girl's face split into what should have been a beautiful grin…if not for the violent madness that seemed to rest just below its surface. "Yeah," she replied.

Rayne stared at her, his entire system seemingly frozen in shock. Then suddenly he was moving, and he managed to stand and get across the room so quickly that Brandi didn't have the chance to stop him.

He ran. And for the first time in his life, Ethan Rayne ran not to save his own skin, but to rescue someone else's.

Brandi stood leisurely from the table, stretching her arms over her head. "Finally," she muttered to the empty room. She gave the sorcerer another ten seconds and then started after him at a leisurely walk. Things were back on schedule.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry this is so ridiculously long in coming, but things this month got incredibly busy. The slothing hours I normally use to write have been taken up with the end of one sport, the start of another and a large amount of academics that I have to apply for, write for and fill out forms for. **

**The lyrics are owned by The Who. Hopefully you're starting to understand Brandi a bit more. Chapter 10 should be up soon, I hope. It's looking to be one of my favorites. In the mean time, feel free to review! And J, whoever you are, you're reading my mind. Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate the constructive comments. Cheers!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"_We're going down, down in an earlier round,  
And Sugar, we're going down swinging!  
I'll be your number one with a bullet;  
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it…"_

_

* * *

_

Ethan ran as he could never remember running before. He expected every second to be accosted by vampires, or Brandi in a murderous rage. He heard footsteps behind him, but nothing close enough to catch him. The little voice in the back of his head that had saved him from many close encounters on the streets of London told him that this wasn't right, but he ignored it. _No time_. He had to warn them, and he had to be outside to do it.

Rayne finally reached the door that led out of the complex and burst through. The sun was setting on the horizon, and heat waves shimmered up from the red ground. Ethan kept running; he didn't stop until he was nearly a quarter mile away from the complex. Finally he fell to his knees, gasping from the unexpected workout. Here would have to do.

With motions born of long experience, the sorcerer traced six runes in the dust around him, stepped into the circle they created and closed the ring with a seventh rune. The symbols on the ground sprang to life, lights shimmering from them. In the fading light of the sun, Ethan saw a group of vampires burst out of the door of the complex, only to be forced back inside by the dying light. He had only minutes before they would be able to come out.

He took one last deep breath, closed his eyes, and chanted a spell that he hadn't used in over twenty years. "Ego postulo a viator Chaos vel. Gratia servo vita alius, Ego tribuo nonnullus of meus vita ut ut quod veho meus nuntius." _I have need of a messenger. In order to save the life of others, I give some of my life to that which would carry my message. _Ethan opened his eyes and traced a circle in the air in front of him, and a shining drop of blood spun out into the golden circle from a cut that appeared in the center of his right palm.

The only trouble with Chaos spells was that you had about a fifty-fifty chance on getting an answer from the light side or the dark side of things. Something on the Light side of things had chosen to answer his plea this time. Unusual, but he had no time to think of that. He looked into the shining circle before him and spoke in a clear, commanding voice. "Rupert Giles."

* * *

Xander blew out a breath and stood up from his place on the foot of the bed, cracking his neck. "Well, that was another funfest."

Willow made a face and stood as well. "Can't we get a few happy weeks?"

Buffy moved to get a soda out of the kitchen where Dawn and Andrew were hovering, but Giles stayed seated, rubbing his temples. "I only wish we knew what exactly is going on…"

"Wish granted, Rupert!"

Giles yelped at the familiar voice, Buffy spun around to place herself in front of Dawn, and Xander and Willow pointed at the back wall. Giles turned…and stared at an image of Ethan Rayne. It was as if a body-length mirror had appeared on the wall between the hotel beds, only instead of showing the room, the mirror opened into what looked like a desert. Fading sun was casting across Ethan's face. Giles noticed the extra rings around his eyes and the creases that hadn't been there last time they'd seen each other. He also noticed that Ethan's dark blue, long-sleeved shirt was crumpled, his hair was in complete disarray, and (most disturbingly of all, to Giles) he looked completely terrified.

"Ethan-" he growled warningly, taking a step forward as he felt Buffy move in behind him.

Rayne held up an urgent hand, looking over his left shoulder at something. "There's no time. I have to say this now before the portal closes. I don't know how long I have, bloody Chaos rituals."

Giles' green eyes widened in horror. "You used a blood portal to-"

"There's no _time_, Rupert!" The desperation in Ethan's interruption stopped Giles cold. When he spoke again, Rayne's voice was urgent and intense. "Her name is Brandi. She's southern, I don't know from where. She's the one killing your Slayers."

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Who is she? Why is she doing this? Where are-"

"Buffy!" Giles snapped. "Quiet." He turned to Ethan again, and the sorcerer continued like Buffy hadn't spoken.

"She's killing them because Buffy killed her brother."

Buffy moved to speak again and Ethan raised a placating hand. "Don't worry, he was a vampire." His gaze locked on Giles' again. "His name was Laurence, I think. He was trying to negotiate peace between the vampires and the Slayer in southern California, or so this girl insists." His haggard face darkened as lengthening shadows brought out the hollows around his eyes. "She's insane, Rupert. Stark raving mad. And she's strong. I don't think she's a Slayer, but for all we know she could be. I thought that she meant to get revenge on your Slayer by doing in all the new arrivals. And maybe that was it originally, but now she's on a warpath without a reason or a care…"

Muffled voices began to sound from behind Ethan: shouts as if from a distance away. He looked over his shoulder again and cursed. He turned back to them and spoke even more quickly than before. "You have to stop her, Rupert, before she kills every bloody one of you. And she'll do it. We're somewhere in Nevada, an old complex out in the desert." The shouts drew nearer, and the light was almost completely gone. Only a golden glow lit Ethan's figure now, and it seemed to be coming from the portal itself. His eyes looked haunted in the heavenly light, and his next words were much quieter, aimed directly at Rupert. "This is the end of my line, Ripper. Ironic I spend my last heroic moments trying to keep your skin safe."

Rayne gave a weak smile that somehow managed to convey a whole range of emotions that only one occupant of the hotel room fully understood. After another beat, Giles smiled very softly back, and Ethan nodded his acceptance. And then the voices grew nearer, and Ethan pivoted on the spot to face them.

A ball of purplish energy sprang to his hand and he threw it at someone, the ball disappearing out of the frame the Scoobies could see. "There's some fight in this old sorcerer yet!" Ethan yelled, and his face looked almost demonic in the conflicting colors of light that flickered across it. He conjured two more balls of energy, one in each hand, and sent those spinning at his unseen attackers as well.

Giles took a helpless step forward, his eyes glued to the picture of one of his oldest friends, enemies and annoyances in his final moments. Ethan started to laugh, throwing ball after ball of energy at what had to be a group of vampires. Buffy's sharp hearing could pick up the noise of each individual being dusted as the balls hit them.

Rayne was just winding up for another one when a sharp, staccato blast echoed through the portal.

Ethan Rayne fell to the ground for the last time. His eyes dulled, and Giles could see the bullet hole just below his neck. Just before the portal closed, Giles heard the snap of a pistol

round being put into place.

Then the portal closed with a blinding flash that made the hotel room occupants cover their eyes.

Dawn gave a little whimper from the kitchen doorway and Andrew put an arm around her shoulders without conscious thought. Willow and Xander went to her as well, both of them silent, hands on her arm and shoulder.

Giles just stared, dazed, at the patch of wall where the portal had been. Buffy turned to check on her sister before she moved up behind him and placed a gentle hand on his back. When he didn't react, she wondered if her Watcher was in shock. "…Giles?" she ventured in a voice so soft only he could hear her.

After another moment of blankness he turned to face her with a start, like he was waking from a dream. "I never really expected him to die," he said with an almost bemused expression on his face.

Buffy saw the pain in his eyes and slipped her arms around his waist before she gave herself time to think. The others in the room cast each other raised eyebrows, and Xander offered a tiny shrug.

Giles clung to his Slayer, holding her so tightly that anyone else would have had bruises. Then he stepped back, brushed at his eyes just once, and looked at the others.

"I think it's time we took another road trip," he murmured.

Xander made a face. "Nevada, here we come! Am I going to need sun block?"

"I've got a tube in my room," Willow volunteered. She headed towards the door, gently steering a subdued Dawn with one hand and pushing Andrew along with the other. Dawn shrugged her off and waited just outside the door for her sister.

After another moment, Buffy moved to follow them. She stopped at the doorway and looked back at Giles, who was looking at the wall again. The Slayer wondered what he saw beyond the blue flower paper. "You gonna be alright?" she asked, almost fearing his answer.

Giles turned his head to look at her and gave a soft smile. "I'll manage." He held her gaze for a moment. "You should go pack."

She did, shutting the door behind her and reaching for Dawn.

It was a long, long time before Rupert moved from where he stood.

It was days before the sound of that single gunshot stopped echoing inside his mind.

* * *

**Author's Note: For those of you who actually like Ethan, I can almost apologize for killing him. I'll willingly admit that I'd been planning on killing him off ever since I brought him in. It was a fight to find an end that was both fitting for him, yet was still as in character for him (and Giles) as I could manage. I hope that this came close. Thank you for reading and please do review. **

**The lyrics belong to the Fall Out Boys. "Sugar, ****We're Going Down****" is a great song, if you haven't heard it yet. It's worth finding somewhere if you've got the time. Chapter eleven will come soon. It's not the end yet, (at this point, I'm looking at a maximum of 16 chapters), but things are going to start coming to a head. In the mean time, enjoy your increasingly warm weather! Cheers!**


	11. Interlude

**Interlude**

"_I wish everyone was loved tonight,  
And somehow stop this endless fight.  
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days.  
So take these words  
And sing out loud,  
Cuz everyone is forgiven now.  
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again…"_

_

* * *

_

They planned as they drove. By the time they'd pulled out of the parking lot in their freshly rented van, the Scoobies had agreed that they would need backup on site in Nevada if they wanted to deal Brandi any sort of major blow.

Buffy called Faith. Her fellow Slayer agreed before Buffy had even managed to finish asking for her help. "Robin's packing. Where in Nevada, B? That's a big state."

Buffy made a face. "Tell me about it. Giles reserved some rooms at a hotel in Ely." Then something else struck the Slayer. "Kennedy's not coming?"

"Someone had to hold down the fort here. She got nominated."

Buffy winced sympathetically. "Bet she wasn't happy about that."

"Nope," the other Slayer agreed. "But she's gonna have to deal with it, 'cuz that's how it's gonna be." Faith threw a tank top into her bag, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear. "We got a flight out tomorrow morning that lands in Battle Mountain at two. We'll drive down and meet you there. Why aren't you guys flying?"

Her blond counterpart sighed. "You ever try reserving six seats on short notice? Renting a van was our best bet. If we drive straight through, we'll get there the same time you guys do."

The Slayers traded arrival times and information and hung up. Buffy put the cell phone back in her pocket and shifted in her seat in the shotgun of the Scoobies' green van. She looked over at Giles in the driver's seat.

He hadn't said more than ten words since Ethan's appearance the night before. The others were quarreling in the back seats, and Buffy suddenly felt like a tired parent on a long road trip. She resisted a grin at the temptation to share that image with Giles and looked out her window as the dull red, brown and bramble land scrolled by.

Soon the four in the back settled into their respective seats: Dawn and Andrew sat in the back, Willow and Xander took up the middle row and Buffy and Giles sat up front. Andrew was absorbed in his Gameboy, Dawn was singing along to her CD player and Willow and Xander stared out their respective windows.

Buffy turned to look forward again and Giles glanced over at her as he changed lanes to pass an RV. She responded to his raised eyebrow with a shrug. "The kids are settled," she grinned.

Giles grinned back at that and shook his head a little. Before he could turn his attention completely back to the road, Buffy took a leap of conversation to ask something that had been lingering in the back of her mind for years. "Giles, would you say I've been the bestest Slayer ever?"

Her Watcher looked over at her suspiciously. "What do you want?"

She tried her best innocent look in conjunction with a tiny pout. "How did you meet Ethan?"

For a moment she wondered if she'd just set foot in the rather large section of topics that Giles simply would not discuss. She opened her mouth to back peddle, but before she had the chance Giles answered. His voice was quiet, a little sad…and more than a little regretful. "It was chance, actually. Or I suppose he would have called it Chaos."

He glanced over to make sure she was listening and found her staring at him in what looked like shock. She motioned for him to go on. "Just after my twenty-first birthday, the whole concept of my destiny-the whole Watcher lifestyle really-got to be unbearable.

"Well I'd always hated it," he amended slightly, "but after I graduated from the Watcher's Academy, I was expected to take my role in the council. My father in particular was very keen on the idea of his only child keeping the tradition of seven generations of the Giles family alive."

At her questioning look, he explained, "Active Watchers. Father was quite determined I'd have a Slayer of my own someday." They shared a smile before he continued. "I hated it: every bloody minute of snobbery, preparation and research for an organization that I found ludicrous."

Buffy couldn't help a wry grin at that. The irony that she and Giles had once held such similar views of the Council was not lost on her.

Giles looked into his rear view mirror before passing another car. After a moment he continued his narrative. Xander leaned forward a little in his seat behind Giles to hear better, and Giles glared good-naturedly at him in the mirror before continuing. His now two-person audience hung on every word.

"As soon as I got my diploma, I packed my bags, gathered up any money I had on hand, took off from Bath and headed to London to make my way in life." He shook his head in disgust. "I was an idiot. Broke my mother's heart, eternally disappointed my father and nearly got myself killed more times than I'd like to think about."

"My money was gone by my fifth day in London and by the end of the week I was living on the streets." He caught Xander's eye. "If you ever decide to run off and find your way in life, London is the worst city on earth to do it in. With the possible exception of LA," he added with a grin in Buffy's direction. She stuck her tongue out at him, but Xander made a gesture to urge Giles on in his story.

The Watcher obliged. "I was stealing my meals, without a friend in the world, too proud to go home." He blew out a breath. "Anyway, one night after I'd been in London for about half a month I got into a scrape with a couple of homeless chaps."

At Buffy's raised eyebrow, the British man shrugged guiltily. "Apparently, I was in their alley."

He sighed. "They told me to shove off. Any other night I probably would have, but my latest food stash had just run out and I was angry at the world in general." Giles' gaze darkened as he continued, his eyes no longer seeing the road or the car, but that dark night years past. "I snapped. Beat them both within an inch of their lives, used magic to scare them off. When they'd scattered, I just stood in that alley.

"I was still angry: at myself, at my parents, at whatever deity controlled my destiny. Then I heard a sound behind me and spun around…and there was Ethan, immaculately dressed, laughing and applauding like he'd just seen a show at the movies."

Xander and Buffy sat, riveted by his tale. When the silence stretched, Xander prompted him, "So then what? What happened?"

Giles gave a one-shouldered shrug. "He invited me to go along with him, and I did."

"Why?" Buffy asked in honest bewilderment.

"I had nowhere else to go, Buffy. We all come to a point in our lives where we have to make the decision to survive. Ethan was the only chance I had of doing that. We stayed together for the better part of three years, until-until Randall. The rest after that, you know."

There was a long moment of silence while his young companions took this in. Finally, Buffy asked her final question. "…Why him? Why Ethan?"

Giles tilted his head a bit. "I followed him for much the same reasons you took up with Spike." He saw Xander's eyes widen in the mirror and actually blanched in horror. "Good Lord, Xander, not like _that_! What do you take me for?"

Xander ducked his head sheepishly, and Giles returned his attention to Buffy after one last glare at the younger man. "Ethan was my…dark side. My taste of night, if you will. He was everything I wanted to be: self-confident, independent, smart, incredibly powerful with magicks. I have no doubt that Ethan kept me alive those years. He taught me more about magick than I ever learned at school.

"We nearly got ourselves killed a hundred times, mucking about with powers we had no business disturbing."

Giles caught Xander's gaze again and then glanced over at Buffy before repeating what he'd told his Slayer the night before. "But despite all that, I just-just never expected him to die. It sounds foolish, but I very much saw Ethan as an immortal being. An extremely obnoxious, overbearing, potentially dangerous one, yes. But there you have it."

"No one lives forever," came Willow's subdued voice from behind Buffy. Giles found her eye in the mirror and they shared a sad smile.

A soft snore sounded from the back seat and they all turned to see Andrew dozing against the window, with Dawn asleep against his shoulder, her headphones around her neck. The other four traded smiles, and then turned to contemplate their own thoughts in silence.

* * *

In her complex in the desert, Brandi gave out orders, yelled and screamed at her vampire cronies, and furiously tried to determine the location of her enemies. The portal that Rayne had used had proved untraceable. Something about blood being impossible to track. She was raving mad…and even more terrifyingly, she was, for the first time since she'd begun this scheme, completely in the dark.

* * *

In the van, Giles was the last one awake. He looked over at Buffy's sleeping form and couldn't resist reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ten minutes later, they entered the state of Nevada. The town of Ely was only another few hours away; it looked like the Scoobies would (for the first time in their history, as far as Giles could remember) make their rendezvous ahead of schedule. Giles didn't wake the others just yet. For a precious moment, the Scoobies experienced an oasis of silent peace.

The Watcher sadly realized that it was probably the last bit of calm they'd get for a long time coming. He would wake Willow in another half hour so she could take over the driving.

But for now, he let them sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: This was originally going to be Chapter 11, but I finally sat down and planned out where the rest of the story is going (more or less), and this just didn't fit the arc. But I really, really wanted to keep this little bit of Giles history in, so I turned it into an interlude. From the next chapter on, things are going to start moving extremely fast. I liked the idea of a little moment of emotional quiet, both for you readers and for the Scoobies. And let's face it, who hasn't wondered how Giles and Ethan met? **

**The lyrics belong to the Goo Goo Dolls. They're one of my favorite bands, and I'd been dying to use some of their stuff in this, so I'm glad I got these ones from "Better Days" to fit in. Thank you so much to everyone who continues to read (and in some cases review). May your generosity and cherity continue to be poured out upon this humble fanfiction. (Translation: keep reading, and review! ;) ) Eleven will be out in a few days, I think. Cheers!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"_And he tells everyone a story,  
Cause he thinks his life is boring.  
And he fights so you won't ignore him,  
Cause that's his biggest fear…"_

_

* * *

_

Faith and Robin landed in Battle Mountain right on schedule to find Xander and Dawn waiting for them at baggage claim. Xander adjusted his eye patch and shook Robin's hand by way of greeting. "We got to our hotel early," he explained. "Figured we'd pick you guys up to save on another rental."

Faith grinned. "G's trying not to bust his bank account, huh?"

"Where's he getting all this money from anyway?" Robin wondered.

Xander opened his mouth to answer and then looked blankly at Dawn. "I don't think I've ever actually asked."

Dawn shrugged. "He's gotta get paid a ton for all those years being a Watcher, right?"

The luggage carousel started to move, ending their line of conversation. It was several minutes before Robin's suitcase appeared, and another twenty minutes after that until Faith duffel showed up at the end of the line.

Faith let Dawn carry her backpack as the group started towards the parking lot, dodging other travelers. Robin turned to Xander as they reached the relative privacy of the outdoors. "So how exactly are we going to find this Brandi if she's in the middle of the desert?"

They dodged an airport taxi and started towards the Scoobies' dark green van, which could be barely seen about three quarters of the way down the short-term parking lot.

"Giles said something about tracing back Ethan's blood portal," Xander explained with a shrug. "He didn't really go into detail. Willow got this horrified look and they got into a big argument. Willow said it was too dangerous, and it'd never been done before. Giles said _he'd_ done it, so in between the two of them it'd be easy.'

Faith raised her eyebrows as Xander unlocked the car and they piled their bags in the trunk. "Cat fight between the brainiacs! Who won?"

"Giles," Dawn replied with utter confidence.

Xander started up the car. "How do you know? They were still arguing when we left!"

"Giles always wins," the teen answered without hesitation. "Besides, he's right. Tracking the blood portal is the only way it'll work." The others stared at her. "What? I can't be knowledge girl?"

Robin twisted in the passenger seat to look at Dawn. "So why exactly is this so dangerous?"

The younger Summers realized that everyone was waiting for an answer. She cleared her throat nervously and explained, gaining confidence as she fell into her role as exposition girl. "Well this Ethan guy used some of his blood to make the portal. And that kind of spell only works if you're related to the person you're talking to, or really close."

"So Giles and this guy were tight," Faith clarified.

Xander's expression darkened. "Yeah, you could say that."

Faith's brow crinkled. "So why's this a bad idea?"

Dawn was in her element, using dramatic hand gestures to punctuate her words. "Since the portal was made by blood, only blood can track it. And it can only be the blood of the person the portal was received by."

"Giles," Robin winced.

Dawn nodded, her enthusiasm tempered slightly.

The dark-haired Slayer beside her made a "hold it!" gesture. "How much blood are we talking here?"Dawn took a deep breath. "That's what Willow's worried about. We don't actually know how much it's going to take."

They all stared at her for another beat. She shifted nervously. "Hey, it was Giles' idea."

"Of course it was," Robin said wryly. He turned to look towards the road again.

Faith shook her head and leaned back in her seat next to Dawn. "What'd Buffy say?"

Xander winced and Dawn made a face. "Well when we left…" the younger Summers sighed. "He hadn't exactly told her yet."

There was another pause, and Dawn looked around at the others' pitying faces. "What?"

Faith grinned. "B's gonna be pissed."

"Oh yeah," Robin agreed.

Xander shrugged. "He can always use Andrew as a human shield. The worst of it'll be over by the time we get back."

Dawn looked skeptical. "With Willow there to back Buffy up?"

Xander thought about that for a moment. "You guys want to stop somewhere for dinner?"

* * *

"No," Buffy stated firmly. "There is _no _way!"

Willow pointed at her. "See? See, that's what I said!" The redhead turned to Giles, who was standing by the window of the hotel room. "I told you she'd never say yes."

Giles gave an exasperated sigh and ran a hand over his face, his glasses dangling from his fingers. "Buffy-"

"No!" Buffy shook her head stubbornly and gave him a passable imitation of Willow's Resolve Face.

"Fine!" He snapped. "You two find another way to discover where Brandi is, and I'll never speak of this again."

Slayer and Witch looked at each other. Willow broke down first. She sighed and sat in a chair, throwing up her hands in defeat. "You'll have to show me the spell."

Giles smiled at her. "We'll need sage, but the rest of the ingredients we have on hand-"

"Whoa, hang on!" Buffy turned to Willow, not ready to give in yet. "Is there any other way to find her? Credit cards, something like that?"

Willow shook her head. "Without a last name? Talk about a needle in a haystack. Plus, what if Brandi's not her real name? Or-"

"I get the point." Buffy put up one more idea, but it was more of a token resistance than anything. "Locator spell?"

Her best friend sighed. "We already tried that. It's like there's some kind of damper field around the whole city. It's probably a spell Brandi used to cover a certain amount of square miles around wherever she is. As far as we can tell, it only affects locater spells. I levitated some stuff and nothing happened."

"So what makes you think this other spell will work?"

"It's much more powerful than a locator spell, though its purpose is similar," Giles explained. "It's also nearly impossible to block."

Buffy sat down next to Willow and gave a pout so reminiscent of her high school days that Giles was struck with an unexpected pang of nostalgia. He couldn't help a little smile at his victory though, and Willow, perceptive as ever, caught the expression. "What?" She asked warily.

"Nothing," he replied. He moved forward to stand in front of the two girls, hands in pockets, glasses back in place.

Buffy returned to strategy mode. "So is there any way to tell how much blood this spell is going to take?"

The other two traded glances. The Watcher opted for the good news first. "It's quite possible that it won't take more than a drop or two. Many light rituals don't require any more than that."

"Unless Ethan's natural evilness kind of mixed in, 'cuz then it could require all the blood the person has to offer," Willow supplied.

Giles glared at her. "Yes, thank you for reminding me of that, Willow." He looked back to Buffy. "The chances of that are miniscule at best."

She considered this. "So factor in that it's one of _us_ doing this and that raises our percentage of bad things happening from 'miniscule' to…what, twenty percent?"

"I think it's closer to thirty percent," Willow amended.

Buffy raised an eyebrow at Giles, and he nodded. "We've had worse odds," he answered her unspoken question. "I'd call thirty percent an acceptable risk."

The Slayer sighed and stood. "How long do you need to get ready?

"Well, not long, but...a few hours?" Willow ventured, looking to Giles.

"That was my thought," he confirmed. "We can do it at sunset. The closer that our casting matches Ethan's, the better the chance of success."

Willow bounced to her feet. "My turn for phone duty. I'll call and tell them the plan. I wonder if they had to tie Andrew to the luggage rack to fit everyone in the van…" She took her cell phone out of her pocket and moved out onto the balcony, sliding the glass door shut behind her.

Buffy and Giles looked at each other for a long moment. "I'm sure everything will work out," he said finally.

"Always does," Buffy replied. Her nonchalant tone was betrayed by the worry in her eyes, and Giles knew he didn't look much more hopeful. He sighed. "When this is over, you're going on a real vacation. You and Dawn, wherever you want to go, for as long as you want."

Buffy smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Are you coming along?"

He tilted his head at her, sunlight flashing off his glasses. "We'll see. I think it depends on where you go."

"How's Rome sound?"

"Lovely," he admitted. He held her gaze a moment longer, then cleared his throat and returned to the business at hand. His gaze wandered to the balcony. "Oh dear."

"What? What oh dear?"

"Willow. She looks rather upset."

Buffy moved over to the balcony door and slid it open an inch just in time to hear Willow's demand of, "What do you mean you lost him!"

Buffy went to her in concern and Willow thrust the phone at her. Buffy put it to her ear just in time to hear Xander say, "We didn't _lose_ him, Will. We thought he was with you!"

"Who?"

"Oh, hey Buffy. We can't seem to find Andrew."

"You _lost Andrew_?"

An exasperated noise came over the line, and Xander spoke slowly and loudly. "No. He never came with us. We thought he was back with you guys."

The Slayer muttered a word that caused both Willow and Giles to exclaim "Buffy!" in scandalized tones. "Sorry." She sighed and spoke into the phone again. "Xander, you guys get back here. We'll start looking and someone will be here to meet you."

"You got it, Buff." He hung up.

Buffy turned to her friends. "Do both of you have to be here to get all the preparing stuff done?"

The two traded glances. "I could write down the necessary instructions," Giles said slowly.

Willow nodded and shooed them towards the door. "I'll stay here. You guys go search."

* * *

"Should we drain him now?"

"Ah come on, the kid's a twig. Turn him or snap his neck."

"After all that work dragging him here? I'm starving, man!"

Andrew lay paralyzed with fear. Things hadn't exactly gone according to plan. He'd heard enough of Willow and Giles' argument to know that tracking the blood portal would probably end badly. He'd heard enough bad plans from Warren to know when one wasn't going to work. So he'd snuck out of the hotel and walked the streets, intending to hassle some of the locals into giving up information on Brandi. If there was information to be had, Andrew was determined to get it. That was all well and good, but the fact that the first vampire he'd approached had knocked him out and brought him here (wherever "here" was…) testified to the fact that he needed to work on his subtle conversational skills.

He cracked an eye open and saw the shoes of one of the vampires. He'd been careless; out walking in a strange town with a stake he barely knew how to use. He waited for some sort of sixth sense to go off: a Spidey Sense like the Slayers talked about. At least a little tingly feeling.

Nothing. He heaved a sigh, which did nothing but alert his captors that he was awake. The largest one, a six-foot-two blond guy who'd probably been a linebacker when he was alive, grabbed Andrew by the front of his shirt and hoisted him to his feet. The captive's hands were loosely tied behind his back with some kind of scratchy rope. Andrew's eyes flicked to the other vamp. He was the same age as the one holding Andrew, but he was shorter and stockier, with black greasy hair. He reminded Andrew of a Klingon mercenary, without the forehead ridges.

This thought had the unexpected effect of soothing him. He could handle this. What would Kirk do in this situation? No, not Kirk. Shatner's melodrama would be no good here. Picard! What would _he _do? Even better, what would Buffy do? He considered this a moment. She would start by giving these two vampires creative, insulting nicknames. Andrew wasn't feeling particularly creative or insulting, so he settled with Blondie and Blacky. He felt a little better. Next, she would say something confident and witty to set them off their guard. He tried to manage a cocky smile that came out closer to a timid grimace. "You-you have no idea who you're dealing with. I have very powerful, vengeful friends."

Blondie let him go and Andrew stumbled back. His back hit a brick wall, and for the first time he realized that they were in a tiny, dilapidated storage room. The place was dusty and full of boxes, and the vampires were avoiding the back half of the room, which was bathed in late-afternoon sunlight coming in through a broken window on the left wall. Andrew tried another brave, unease-causing statement. "That's right! Let me go now and you won't suffer the wrath of the Slayer!"

That gave the vampires pause. "You know the Slayer?" Blondie asked incredulously.

Andrew drew himself up to his full (but not all together impressive) height. "I'm part of her inner circle."

"No way," Blacky said with disbelief. Andrew nearly quailed under the vampire's glare, but he rallied again. He wished his hair were shinier. "Oh yes," he replied with building confidence. "Well, kinda." He back-pedaled a little. "See, I used to be an arch villain, but I've converted, so I'm one of the good guys now."

"An arch villain?" They looked almost impressed. Andrew nodded and tried to look like a converted evil genius. "What'd you do?" asked Blondie.

Andrew grinned. "I was part of a trio of super geniuses who thwarted the Slayer's attempts to do good. We were trying to achieve money, power, babe-slaves."

The vampires nodded understandingly. Blacky sat down on a box. "Part of a group act, huh? Were you the brains?"

"He couldn't be the muscle," Blondie agreed, taking another box.

"I summoned demons of evil portent," Andrew explained with as much dignity as he could muster.

They looked suitably impressed. "So what do you do for the Slayer?" Blacky inquired.

"Uh, well back in Sunnydale, when we had a kitchen, I cooked. And now I run errands and stuff, and answer the phone when people call in to report…"

"You're a lackey!" Hooted Blondie.

Andrew glared at him imperiously. "Just because my jobs seem trivial to civilians doesn't make them any less important. Buffy considers me a valuable resource, and I provide crucial insight into the minds of her enemies."

Blacky was still stuck back on Andrew's earlier comments. "Hang on. You said you were part of a trio, right? What happened to the other two?"

Andrew looked up at the ceiling. "One of them got skinned alive by Buffy's friend Willow. Only it wasn't really Willow, because she was all hopped up on uber-dark magick, and she doesn't do that any more, and he kinda deserved it…" he trailed off, lost in the memories. His babbling entranced his captors.

"What about the other one?" Blondie prompted eagerly. "He working for the Slayer too?"

"He's…" Andrew paused on the cusp of his tale of being ticked by the First into killing his best friend to open the Hellmouth. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he decided that Jonathan deserved to be more than just a victim in a good story. "He's dead," Andrew said simply, and the cheer leeched out of his voice. "He shouldn't have died. The person who killed him made a stupid mistake."

"Dude," Blacky said after a reverent pause. "This could be like a movie or something."

Andrew brightened. "I made a documentary! Only all the footage is gone because I had to leave it in Sunnydale."

"Yeah, we heard about the whole crater thing," said Blacky.

"Totally sucks, man," Blondie offered sympathetically. "I went there once when I could still be out in daylight. Great beaches, and some totally hot chicks."

Andrew judged the moment as the perfect one to carry out his plan. "Speaking of chicks, I'm gonna let you guys in on a secret, straight from the Slayer." He leaned in conspiratorially, and the vampires mimicked him. Andrew lowered his voice. "There's a new player in the mix. Her name's Brandi, and she's giving the Slayer some trouble. Buffy sent me out to get some recon on her. I bet two informed guys like you must have all the dirt on this girl, right?"

The two vampires traded glances. Andrew threw in his _piece de resistance_: "The Slayer's a big spender when it comes to information. I'm sure there'd be something in it for you…"

They traded looks again. "That blond girl out in the desert?" Blacky finally ventured. Andrew nodded.

"Oh yeah," Blondie said dismissively. "She's a nutcase, man. Tried to recruit us last week."

"Arch villain material?" Andrew inquired casually.

"No way," Blacky scoffed. "Her sales pitch sucked. Get what she said…"

Andrew smothered a triumphant grin as the vampire continued. _Eat your heart out, Jean-Luc. I've got these Klingons eating out of my hand._

Half an hour later, Andrew walked out of the vampires' tiny shack minus only the cash in his wallet and a promise to put in a good word with the Slayer. He ran into Buffy and Giles a few blocks later. "Hey guys!"

Buffy grabbed him by the shoulders. "Andrew! Where the he-"

He held up a slip of paper. "I've got directions to Brandi's hideout. I think we'll need something with four-wheel drive to get there, but it's only a few hours away."

Buffy stared at him. Giles plucked the directions out of his hand and examined them. "You're sure this is accurate?"

"Oh yeah," Andrew replied confidently. "The vampires who gave them to me were really ni-tough, but I got it out of them in the end. And it only cost me twenty bucks."

Slayer and Watcher traded an impressed glance. Buffy got out her phone. "Will, cancel that spell. Andrew got us directions. Can you call Xander?" They began their walk back to the hotel, and Buffy patted him approvingly on the back. "Great recon, Andrew. Just tell us next time you head out, all right?"

"Yes, that would have saved us all quite a bit of energy," Giles agreed sternly. At Andrew's crestfallen expression, the British man smiled. "But it also saved me quite a lot of blood. You did excellent work. Well done."

Andrew beamed and walked back into the hotel. After twenty one years of being a misfit, he had finally found his place.

* * *

**Author's Note:** **I actually had this finished several days ago, but in between my computer and this site, I couldn't post it. I hope you enjoyed it, despite it being the obligatory exposition chapter. I was going to jump right into the action, but then I realized that there was a whole lot of explaining to do first. I liked the idea of using everyone but Giles to do it. **

**The lyrics belong to Thousand Foot Krutch. I'd never actually listened to them before this, but a friend recommended their song "This Is a Call" for its lyrics, and sure enough, I ended up using them. Chapter 12 will be up soon, now that I have an entire week of Spring Break to write. And I finally found a division marker that won't disappear! You'll be seeing sections much more clearly distinguished now that I can actually mark between them.**

** Many thanks to all of you who continue to read and review, and I ask you continue to do so. Cheers! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**_  
_

_"Let's wait for the blackout, _  
_ The lights are too bright. _  
_ Let's wait for the blackout. _  
_ Wait for the night…"_

_

* * *

_

The forces of darkness were gathering. Brandi was aware that was she was trying to command the largest cohesive force of vampires ever organized by any being besides the First Evil. Her complex was the perfect place to bring them. At night there was over a hundred square miles of desert for them to drill and train in with no fear of being found. She had enough room in her complex and in several neighboring towns to house every vampire that came to her. Every room was needed because many, many creatures of the night were coming. After the defeat of the First and the collapse of the Hellmouth, the undead of America had lost both their confidence and their footing. Brandi's offer of blood, shelter and major massacre was just what they were looking for.

The vampires knew that she was human. Most of them didn't care. The ones that tried to intimidate her (or, in several cases, come on to her) soon found that she had no tolerance for idiocy, slowness, or questions. She and they were united by a common goal: bloodlust. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

Brandi paced restlessly in her quarters, icy eyes flicking to the small window on the far gray wall. Sunset could not come soon enough. There was so much to do. Vampires had to be trained to act and move and fight like soldiers. The most trustworthy ones had to be dispatched to eliminate the new Slayers, which left the less useful ones here at the complex to bludgeon around and stumble through their drills.

Worst of all, not one member of Brandi's fighting force could go out in the sunlight to train, which meant that all of their drills were carried out at night-a necessary precaution, but a highly frustrating one for Brandi, who was forced to sleep during the daylight hours if she wanted any rest at all. This complication with Ethan Rayne had set her back as well. He had pulled a fast one on her, neatly undermining her plan of tracking his spell by using a blood portal that was impossible, to the best of her experts' knowledge, to ever find again. She'd underestimated his magickal abilities, but apparently she hadn't given enough credit to his relationship with Rupert Giles to begin with.

That was the one thing that grated most on Brandi's nerves. What was it about these people, this little Slayer and her Watcher and their pitiful group of friends, that inspired such loyalty? The witches at the Coven that Brandi had forced to do the locator spell, they were one thing. They were dedicated to the side of good, not just to Rupert Giles or Willow Rosenberg, though their names had come up more than once. But Rayne, the belligerent sorcerer, had been a blatant enemy of anything good that didn't pay well. And he had gone and gotten himself killed for his old Watcher buddy anyway.

Yes, Brandi had underestimated her enemies. That would stop today. She slammed her door open and reveled in the sound of metal clashing against metal. With a decisive turn, she strode down the hallway and into the control room, signaling to the vampire nearest her. "Tell the unit leaders that we're stepping up our deadline. The drill tonight is gonna be their dress rehearsal. We mobilize tomorrow night."

The crony stared at her incredulously and Brandi's temper flared. "Move!" She screamed at him, picking up a clipboard from his desk and slamming it over his head. Before the plastic shards had settled, he was scrambling down the hallway.

Brandi's good mood that blossomed at the sight would have been ruined if she knew that Buffy Summers was standing less than a mile away.

Buffy, Faith, Robin and Andrew stood outside their rented jeep just over a rise three hundred yards from Brandi's complex.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know, a two and a half month wait was ridiculous for a chapter this short. Rest assured that the next two chapters are going to be on their way shortly. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that the last month or so has been a traffic jam of writer's block, other ideas and a real life that made itself known when I wasn't looking. Thank you for continuing to read this humble fic and for your constructive comments and support. **

**The lyrics are from Green Day's song "Wait for the Blackout". Things are coming to a head, and the next chapter looks to be my longest one to date. It didn't seem right putting two gigantic ones back-to-back, so I took a moment with this one to give us a bit of perspective on our villian. I hope you enjoyed it, and be ready for 14 within the next week (hold me to that! Badger me insesently if I miss my deadline!) Cheers! And thanks again. :)  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_"Calm before the storm set it off, _  
_And the sun burnt out tonight._  
_A reception less than warm set it off, _  
_And the sun burnt out tonight…"_

_

* * *

_

"They're coming at the front!"

Rona spun in her tiny living room just in time to see the barricade of broken furniture she and her Slayers had erected across the shaky front door quiver under the impact of a body hitting it at full speed from the other side. The vampires were at it again. She cursed softly at the luck that had landed her and her thirteen new recruits under siege in her own house facing over two dozen vampires. Of all the days for clouds to obscure the sun nearly a full hour before it would have gone down…

With no cell phone reception and the main line to the house cut, things were looking bleak as far as backup went. "What else can we use?" she asked no one in particular.

"Nothing," a redhead replied as she stood from bandaging another Slayer's leg. "We used everything else in the back." She carried herself with an air that Rona recognized; this girl was a born survivor.

Rona ran her hands through her hair for the thousandth time in only the two hours they'd been stuck here. Once again struck that this was what Buffy went through every day. "Okay," she said finally. "We have…" she checked the clock on the wall. Was it really only eight? "Ten hours until sunrise. They'll have to retreat then or get screwed by the sun. Second wave replace the ones at the barricades. I want everyone up and at their post by four so we'll be ready when these guys take their last shot."

The redhead nodded and started towards the door to the underground cellar turned dormitory. Rona realized she didn't even know the girl's name. "Hey," she called. "What's your name?"

The new Slayer managed a weak smile. "Jennifer. Jennifer Alpin."

"Thanks, Jennifer," Rona said with a smile. Jennifer grinned back and headed downstairs. Rona turned to check on the defenses at the back door when her mother entered from the kitchen. "They've nearly wore themselves out, I expect," the black woman commented. "They're takin' their own sweet time."

"They can afford it," her daughter replied. "They've got ten hours before the sun rises, and that's only if these clouds let some light through. They'll make at least one more big push before midnight."

Annabelle Hullen nodded sagely and turned to step back into the kitchen. "Best make up some more tea, then. Heaven knows these girls need the caffeine."

"Mom," Rona said suddenly. "I'm sorry. For all of this."

The older woman's face crinkled a little as she looked sadly at her daughter. "Never be sorry for being who you are, baby. I'm not about to hold it against you that I have no-good vampires tearing up my house just because you happened to get super powers." For a long moment they shared an understanding look before Mrs. Hullen returned to the kitchen. For the first time in her life, Rona felt like she and her mother had arrived on common ground.

The Slayer looked at the clock again. Nine hours and forty minutes till a sunrise that they could only pray held their salvation. With a deep breath she took out the cell phone Giles had bought her and every other Slayer who left. Not for the first time she wondered how the heck he could pay for all of the stuff he'd been paying for the last couple of weeks as the phone charged and the main screen flickered to life. She prayed with all her might that she would finally pick up on some reception. Rona nearly cried with relief when she saw three bars appear in the corner of the screen. She punched in the long-distance number by memory and waited breathlessly for the two rings it took for Willow to pick up. She didn't wait for the witch to speak. "Willow, it's Rona. I've got thirteen new Slayers and a whole crap-load of angry vamps putting my house under siege."

Willow's voice was worried, but instantly focused. "What do you need?"

"Backup," the black girl replied. "Someone who can get us out of this. And I don't know how you're supposed to do it, but I need them here before sunrise or this is gonna be the last time you hear from me."

"It'll have to be one of us then," Willow mused to herself. Then her voice was directed into the phone again, completely in control and confident despite the fact that she had no idea how to get at least one person from Nevada to Mississippi in less than ten hours. "Sit tight, Rona. Someone'll be there before midnight your time." _I hope,_ she thought, unwilling to consider that she might not be able to fulfill that promise. _Four hours isn't any harder than ten, right?_

Relief flooded through the Slayer. "Who?"

"I, uh…don't know yet. I have to make a call. When I have details, you'll know."

"Thanks," Rona managed through a suddenly clogged throat.

"Hang in there," Willow said encouragingly. The line went dead and Rona hung up, looking at the clock with a new deadline in mind. Four hours until backup. They could last four hours.

"Listen up, everyone! New plan! Backup is coming in from command central by midnight! Let's just make it 'till then!"

"Here they come!" Jennifer hollered from the back.

Rona grabbed up the table leg she was using as a makeshift stake and sprinted towards the door, muttering under her breath. "Better move it soon, Willow. We might not make it 'till midnight."

* * *

Buffy pushed her sunglasses from her eyes to perch them on top of her head, taking in the terrain before her. Faith, Robin and Andrew stood to her left, the four of them casting a line of shadows in the latish-afternoon sun. For a moment they were silent. Then, from Buffy's immediate left, Andrew broke the quiet in a voice tinged with awe. "The enemy's secret base of operations, hidden deep in the Nevadan desert, inaccessible to all but the forces of darkness that would do her will."

"Unless you have directions," Robin noted.

Faith cast a critical eye over the one-level metal structure before them. The building itself was massive, probably covering the same amount of square meters as most American high schools. The old metal siding was rusted and bent in places, and more than one side door looked like it had been boarded or welded shut. "Kind of a dump for a bad momma's 'secret base of operations.'" She used her fingers to frame air quotes around the last four words.

They all looked at the building again. "Kind of an anticlimax," Andrew finally agreed. "Especially after the cool Jeep ride."

"I'm not exactly shaking in terror either," Buffy interrupted. "But I still want to check this place out. Robin, take Andrew and check out the backside. Faith and I will start on this end."

It was Faith who found the red stains in the sand, about a hundred yards from the west side of the building. "Hey, B, check this out."

Buffy stooped to see what Faith already knew. "Blood," she said softly. She had an instinctive feeling that she knew whose it was. Tentatively, she reached out and touched the caked sand. She spoke almost too quietly for Faith to hear. "Thanks, Ethan."

Before the other Slayer could comment, Buffy rose and they continued their scout.

It was nearly half an hour later that the foursome reconvened at the Jeep. "What do we have?" Buffy asked no one in particular.

Robin used the sleeve of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his bald head. "A whole lot of rusted siding. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but there are chalk lines on the other side to mark the space for training drills."

Faith cursed. "This is one organized chick."

"Not organized enough to post guards at the entrances," her boyfriend countered.

"Well if she only has vampire minions she wouldn't be able to even have a window open during the day." The other three stared at Andrew with varying degrees of amusement. "Because of the whole…you know, dust thing." He made a gesture that was either meant to symbolize a vampire being dusted or an ostrich with hiccups.

"We got that," Buffy confirmed. "I'm just still getting used to you being actually useful."

Andrew's indignant reply was cut off when Robin startled violently.

"What?" Faith asked, instantly alert.

"Cell phone vibrated," the man replied sheepishly, taking the offending piece of technology out of his pocket and flipping it open. Ignoring Faith's guffaw, he turned slightly away from the others. "Wood," he greeted the caller.

"Robin," came Willow's urgent voice. "you guys have to get back here as soon as you can."

Wood signaled the others to get in the car even as he said, "We're on our way. What happened?"

"Rona called from Mississippi. She has thirteen new Slayers and Brandi's vamps have them cornered."

The ex-principal groaned. "Who's going?"

"Just get back!" the witch replied before hanging up.

"What is it?" Buffy demanded as Robin hung up and put the Jeep in gear.

"Trouble," he responded darkly. "Buckle up. This is gonna be a bumpy ride."

* * *

Buffy burst into the hotel room in full command mode, the others piling in behind her. "Details," she said to the room's two occupants. Willow stood and Giles looked up from his notebook. The witch took the initiative and reported. "Rona has thirteen new Slayers under siege in her house. There are at least two dozen vamps. She needs at least one of us there by midnight her time." The redhead glanced at her watch. "Which gives us…just over three hours to get some of us to Mississippi."

The others stared at her in disbelief. Andrew opened his mouth and closed it a few times. Buffy was the first to get over her best friend's comment. "We'll deal with that later. But first-" her train of thought derailed suddenly. "Where's Xander?"

"Sleeping in the other room," Giles answered, finally joining the conversation. "I though it best to let him until we needed him."

"And Dawn is…"

"She conked out a little after Xander did," Willow confided with a grin. "Giles had to carry her to the other room. It was so cute!"

The Englishman cleared his throat. "Yes, well, don't you think it's about time we woke them?"

Buffy sighed. "I hate to ruin the siesta, but we need them."

"I'll get them!" Andrew volunteered. Before anyone could stop him he was out of the room.

"Xander may never forgive us for that," Giles remarked conversationally.

Faith couldn't help a grin as she wandered into the tiny attached kitchen area to grab a soda. The group made themselves comfortable on various surfaces throughout the smallish room: Giles on the wide windowsill, Willow at the foot of the double bed, Robin in an armchair in the corner and Faith on the floor at his feet. Buffy, restless energy coursing through her, paced across the four feet of open space between the bed and the balcony door.

Moments later the room's door opened to admit a sleepy Dawn and an equally tousled Xander. Andrew entered last and shut the door behind him, looking unreasonably perky. Xander sat heavily next to Willow on the bed and Dawn folded herself into a cross-legged position on the floor next to Faith. Andrew took the only remaining space: the corner by Giles' window.

Buffy gave everyone a moment to get settled before she started in. "Will, you wanna give us a recap?"

She did so in rapid time for Xander and Dawn's benefit. The dark-haired young man shook his head and adjusted his eye patch absently. "OK, not to go straight to the negative, but…" he glanced from Buffy to Willow. "How the heck are we gonna get from here to there in three hours?"

"We'll get to that," Buffy said with a sigh. "First, I want strategy. Willow, do we have a layout of Rona's place?"

Giles pushed himself off the sill and gathered up two pieces of paper from his legal pad that he'd taped together horizontally. "I called Rona and sketched this from her description." He used another piece of tape to attach the drawing to the back of the door and everyone else gathered around as Giles fell effortlessly into his established role as the one expected to do the exposition. "Rona's house is here, a half-mile from the road that runs east-west. Her yard is bordered by tress, but the yard around the back of the house is completely bare for nearly an acre." He used the index finger of his left hand to trace the images on the makeshift map as he spoke. "Now according to Rona, Brandi's forces have effectively surrounded the house, cutting off their access to the road or any escape through the back."

Xander used the arm not entirely crossed over his chest to gesture. "So why hasn't someone seen all this from the road? Kind of a 'Hey, that house looks like it's under siege! Let's call the cops!'"

Giles sighed again and reached for his glasses, only to find that he didn't have them on. Dawn looked around and moved to pick them up from the sill, handing them over Buffy's head. The ex-Watcher acknowledged the gesture with a wry nod of thanks, putting his eyewear on without polishing them before answering Xander's question. "Rona says the nearest neighbors are nearly a mile away, and the road is rarely used."

"So any attack is going to have to come from inside the house," Robin reasoned. "Unless two of us can take out twenty vampires from the outside."

"That would seem to be the best course of action," Giles agreed. "And whoever goes will need to bring weapons."

Faith raised her hand like she was in class. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for some serious tussle with a couple of vamps, but we still don't know how to get there before midnight."

Buffy looked to Willow. "Will? Any ideas?"

The witch looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe. I mean, I know the spell for teleporting yourself, but doing it to another person, let alone _two_ other people…"

"Couldn't you go and just take another person with you?" Dawn asked thoughtfully.  
Her older sister shook her head firmly. "No, Willow has to stay here."

Giles deferred the floor to Buffy. "Perhaps it's best that we work out assignments first, then."

The Slayer nodded in agreement. "I want Faith, Robin and Willow here. We're going back to Brandi's place tonight to scope out the sitch." The three nodded in agreement. Buffy turned to her remaining troops and considered before deciding, "Xander, I want you with Rona. You have the experience, and these new girls are going to need some reassurance."

"Yeah, I can loosen them up. Do a few, 'This is what happens when you run with stakes' opening lines to break the ice."

Buffy rolled her eyes a little and looked to Giles, Andrew and Dawn. "I want the three of you here. In case something goes wrong, or one of us needs something researched on the fly."

Giles' head came up, his eyes flashing at being rather blatantly labeled a bystander. Dawn and Andrew's complaints were quickly drowned out by Buffy's firm refusals, but Giles shook his head resolutely. "Buffy, can I speak with you a moment?"

"Giles, this isn't really-" he ignored her and all but dragged her from the room. Buffy looked back at the others as her Watcher pulled her through the door. "Start loading up. Will, work on that spell." Once they were in the room next door where Xander and Dawn had been sleeping earlier, Giles turned to the Slayer in frustration.

Buffy cut him off with a raised hand. "I don't want to hear it, Giles."

"Well you're going to!" he cried in indignation. "I will not be treated like an invalid."

"You're not!" she protested. "I need you here in case something goes wrong!"

"That's poppycock and you know it, Buffy."

She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I'm the one in charge, Giles."

"Do you really expect Xander to come out of there alive if you send him in alone?" her mentor replied in a quiet voice.

Buffy took a calming breath. "He can handle himself."

"So can I."

"Are we really going to do this again? I haven't proved myself enough already?"

"This has nothing to do with proving yourself, Buffy!" he spat. "Don't you see that? I'm being wasted sitting on the sidelines when Xander could use my help."

"And what happens when that house gets overrun and I lose both of you?" Buffy shouted back.

They stared at each other for a moment, Giles' green eyes wide with horror. His voice, when he finally managed to speak, was hoarse. "Then at least we'll have made the effort. I was under the impression that this was not meant to be a suicide run."

Buffy's shoulders crumpled. "Fine." Her voice was bitter. "I obviously can't stop you. Do what you want, Giles. But if you get killed out there, I won't be held responsible."

"Yes, heaven forbid that anything I do for you should affect your complete indifference to my welfare," he shot back. He strode past her and opened the door, hating the whole situation with every fiber of his being. But some things he would not tolerate, and being treated like a child was one of them.

Buffy stopped him just before he stepped into the hallway. "Giles?" He stopped to show he was listening but refused to turn around, knowing it was childish even as he did so. As a result, Buffy's last comment was clipped and sarcastic. "Don't die."

"Very inspiring," he muttered harshly. He yanked open the door of the other room and strode in without waiting for her.

Willow looked up from a book she'd pulled out of her bag: one of the few they'd saved from Sunnydale. "I think I have it."

"Weapons?"

"Right here," Xander called from kneeling on the other side of the bed. He rose with two duffel bags of weapons. Giles nodded in approval. They had brought five bags all together. That would leave three for the group assaulting Brandi. He took one of the bags and slung it easily over his shoulder. The others correctly interpreted this as a sign that he'd be going along and Xander gave him a thankful nod as he handed the weapons over. Willow lingered over the text of the spell a moment longer before turning to the two men. "OK, now this is supposed to make a person travel short distances. But if I use sage and change the wording, I should be able to get you guys all the way there. The only problem is, I don't have a crystal, so I don't actually know what time you're going to get there. It may be like ten minutes, or it might not be till the last minute." She bent to draw a circle of white chalk on the carpet big enough for Xander and Giles to stand in.

"We'll still get there by midnight, right?" Xander asked.

Willow smiled that nervous smile she sometimes got right before she tried a new spell. "As long as I aim you right and think about twelve o'clock really hard, it should be no big deal."

Buffy edged into the room just as Willow finished. The witch turned to the travelers. "Go ahead and step inside." They obeyed, forced to stand close together to fit inside the circle. Willow cleared her throat nervously. "I think you have to be touching for this to work." The two men looked at each other uncomfortably for a moment before Giles got over it and placed his hand on the back of Xander's neck. The witch picked up the book, gave them one last smile, and started reciting the Latin text, sprinkling sage in the air. Moments later gold mist surrounded them.

"Good luck," Dawn called nervously. Xander offered her an encouraging smile, but Giles locked his gaze to Buffy's. The last thing he saw before the world started to spin was the hurt look in his Slayer's eyes.

* * *

It felt like the world had turned inside out. Colors rushed past so fast that Xander had to screw his eye shut. Wind roared by and nearly deafened him, but he felt no sensation of moving forward or back. Just spinning. He felt Giles' hand gripping the back of his neck and the reassuring pressure nearly counteracted the nausea starting to build in his stomach from the constant circular motion. Almost. Just as Xander feared he was going to lose his lunch, the magick-induced ride stopped abruptly and his feet slammed into solid ground.

Xander stumbled to regain his footing and he lost contact with Giles. When he opened his eye, Xander found himself in a tiny living room packed to the bursting with teenage girls. The air was hot and humid, made all the worse by the way-too-close quarters. He looked beside him to find Giles bent double at the waist, hands on his knees. "You alright?"

"Wonderful," the older man replied sarcastically. Before either of them could say another word, Rona lunged out of the crowd and wrapped them both in bear hugs before stepping back. The clock on the wall struck midnight.  
Xander managed a grin at the girl he'd grown to know and respect over the past few months. "How's that for an entrance? Drama and timing!"

Rona gave him a heartfelt smile. "Good to see ya, Xander. Giles." She turned to the assembled girls, all of which were staring at the new comers like they'd just appeared out of thin air. It took Xander a moment to remember that they had. "This is Xander and Giles. They're two of the top team, so listen to what they say and don't argue." She glanced to her guests. "Guys, this is…well, everyone else. You-"

"And just what are these two doing in my house?" Giles turned in surprise to see an elderly black woman eyeing him suspiciously.

"These are the friends I was telling you about, Mom," Rona explained patiently. "They're here to help."

Annabelle was not appeased. "What's in them bags?"

Giles opened one and removed a crossbow. "Things that kill the mob that's tearing down your lovely home."

The older woman nodded approvingly. "Then you're welcome any time, Mr..." she left it for him to fill in.

"Giles," he introduced himself cordially. "Rupert Giles. The is Alexander Harris."

With one more appraising look she turned to Giles again. "You're British, is that right?

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright then," Annabelle decided as if he'd just answered a question correctly. "You best be getting these creatures off my lawn, Mr. Giles. My petunias are getting mighty trampled."

Rona waved them towards the back. "Let me show you what defenses we already have-"

"The front!" Jennifer screamed. "They're breaking through!"

"What happened to vampires not getting in unless they're invited?" Xander shouted to Giles over the sound of breaking boards.

"They can't!" the Brit shouted back.

"They are!" Rona said. The two men stared at her in shock and she shook her head in despair. The black girl sighed. "We have a little plaque next to our door that says 'Enter and be blessed.' Turns out that counts as an invitation."

"Oh great," Xander bemoaned, adjusting his eye patch again.

"What do we do?" a petite black Slayer behind Xander cried.

The thumps against the door were growing louder. The old piece of wood had broken off its hinges and before Giles could shout a single order, the door finally gave way.

Xander appraised the situation in under a second and reached an accurate conclusion.

"Ah, crap."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well there you have it! Sorry for the total cliff-hanger. Technically I'm half an hour past my deadline, but considering that means I'm posting this at 12:30 in the morning I think my obvious dedication balances out my minor tardiness. ;) I don't like the tension between our Scoobies any more than you do, but it's neccesary. And I promise they'll make up at the end.  
**

**I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! The lyrics are from the song "Calm Before the Storm" by the Fallout Boys. I will officially be going past the original fifteen or sixteen chapters I had planned, because I decided to split the material that was originally all going to be in this one up into at least two, possibly three. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope you're having as much fun following this storyline as I am writing it. As always, reviews are cherished and appreciated nearly as much as those who write them. And once again, I'm holding myself to a week deadline. Fifteen will be up by June 2nd. Cheers!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_"Oh, dance in the dark of night,  
Sing to the morning light.  
The dark Lord rides in force tonight  
And time will tell us all…."_

_

* * *

_

In retrospect, hiding in the trunk of the rental Jeep and expecting _not _to get caught had been a pretty stupid idea. But Dawn hadn't been able to come up with a better one, so they'd taken Andrew's half-cocked scheme and somehow squeezed themselves into the Jeep's back hatch before the others noticed. Dawn winced and tried to shift in the enclosed space. While this model of car might be ideal for holding skis or extra tires, there just wasn't enough room in here for her tall frame, the three duffle bags full of pointy weapons _and_ Andrew.

Maybe next time Robin slowed down, she could open the trunk and throw him out. The others had to know they were in here by now, the teen deduced. Andrew had made too much noise trying to get comfortable, and he still whimpered a little every time they went over a bump. Her sister was probably leaving them in here to suffer, Dawn knew. It would be just like Buffy to do that. Not that she didn't love her sister and think of her as one of her best friends…but sometimes the Slayer could be a royal pain.

Especially after she'd had a fight with one of her friends. Dawn couldn't stop the pang of envious admiration that still tingled through her whenever she thought of Giles. Envy that he'd been bold enough to stand up for what he wanted. Admiration for the way he'd been able to convince Buffy, miss "I'm-in-control-don't-dare-question-me" to let him go. And maybe a bit of disappointment, too, because now Buffy would be completely impossible to deal with until the two of them got off their high horses and apologized.

She felt the car begin to slow and she was almost thankful, even though she knew she was about to be in a world of hurt. Maybe Buffy had cooled down during the drive. Footsteps approached the back of the car and Dawn resigned herself to a good chewing out as soon as the hatch above her opened.

It was a tribute to her stealth skills that a totally oblivious Robin let out a girlish shout and stumbled backwards several steps when he opened the trunk to find two people squished inside it. The others came running, and Dawn felt a moment of pride that their plan had worked out better than they'd hoped. But then she saw Buffy's furious face and realized there was a downside to their success: instead of catching Buffy on the downside of an angry time, her sister would just be starting up.

They were _so _screwed.

* * *

"We are going to _die_!" Jennifer yelled with certainty as she made a break for Giles and Xander, who were handing out weapons indiscriminately to everyone within reach. The door was stuck diagonally on the frame. They had but a few precious moments before a vampire on the other side would have the brains to pull it out towards them and clear the doorway.

"That is a possibility," Giles agreed. He handed her a stake. "Pointed end first."

"I taught them the basics," Rona said with a little bit of an eye roll. She accepted a short sword from Xander. "Where do you want us?"

Giles took a moment to scan the room. "Rona, up front. Take three or four who know what they're doing. You and one other at the door, one at the window with a crossbow and two standing ready in case they get inside. Xander? Back door. That's through the kitchen, yes?" Rona nodded in confirmation. He turned back to Xander. "Have Rona choose two or three more to take with you, use crossbows to fend them off. They haven't charged the back yet, and if we have anything to do about it they never will."

Rona took a quick head count and made her choices. "Jennifer, Kelly, Jasmine and Chinelle, up front with me. Grab stakes and swords, ladies, we're doing close range. Jasmine, take a crossbow." The girls in question hurried to the front, looking nervous but determined. Rona looked at the remaining girls. "Brooke, Mercedes, Laura, grab crossbows and get to the back with Xander. Listen to his instructions, and take down a few boards to give yourself eyeholes. Everyone else, load up and stay in the middle here. Giles will tell you where he needs you."

Giles watched, impressed, as the girls scurried off to their posts without question. "You've got quite a handle on them," he murmured to Rona.

She shrugged. "They're easy when they're scared. Once it wears off they'll be worse than we were."

"Now that I find hard to believe." A vampire had finally figured out on the other side what Giles had seen as soon as the door broke in. There was a moment of silence and then the door started moving backwards. This, the Watcher had been prepared for. He turned to one of the girls next to him. "Have a light?"

"Not in this household!" Mrs. Hullen said indignantly from the corner she'd been forced into. Giles knew better; he'd grown up with enough Watchers-turned-habitual smokers to recognize one on sight. He looked at the Slayer expectantly.

The blond girl stared at him in stark terror before pulling a lighter from her pocket. "Thank you," he said cordially. Then he pulled out a rag-tipped crossbow bolt, loaded it and put the match to it. The oiled tip burst into flame. "Everyone down!"

The five girls in the front hit the floor and Giles' flaming bolt hit the first vampire who'd made it halfway through the door. The flames that consumed him caught several others on fire that had been crowding too close. There was a moment of confusion that gave the Watcher enough time to lose the crossbow and pick up his favorite sword. "Keep them in the door! If we keep them bottled up they have to come in by ones and twos!"

"We've got some coming at the back!" came Xander's voice from the kitchen.

"What's going to stop them from breaking down the walls?" Cried the Slayer who had given Giles the lighter.

"Time they don't have. And with any luck, their own stupidity," he replied calmly. "Grab a sword and two of your friends and go help Xander in the back, please."

They scattered, leaving Giles and three Slayers in the middle of the living room. He turned to the tallest one, a pretty black girl that came nearly to his eye level. "Take the doorway between the kitchen and here. If they need help, yell. Or vice versa. I don't want to give it up, but we may have to make a break for the back yard if we get overrun."

She nodded and moved to her position, picking up a long staff as she did so. Giles couldn't help wishing that Buffy and Faith had taken direction this well when they were that age, so very long ago…. A guilty pang shot through him at the thought of Buffy. _No time for that_, he reprimanded himself. _Survive now. Feel sorry for yourself later. _The first vampire got past the Slayers at the door and Giles decapitated her with the ease of long experience. Through the swirling dust that temporarily clouded his vision, he could see the horde outside standing in ranks surrounding the house. Waiting for their turn in the massacre.

Not if he had a bloody thing to do about it. With another swipe, the Watcher dusted a blond vampire and shouted to Xander in the back to open fire.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"You are the most irresponsible teen in existence!"

"Oh please!" Dawn shot back. "That from the girl who ran away…how many times by the time you were my age?"

The two sisters faced off across the hood of the Jeep in identical poses: hand on hips, jaws set, eyes narrowed. No movement had started in Brandi's camp yet, but that was only a matter of time so they kept their voices down to enraged half-whispers. Willow, Faith, Robin and a completely forgotten Andrew watched with fascination, their heads going back and forth like they were watching a tennis match. In deference to the pitch-black night, Robin had his flashlight pointed to illuminate Dawn's face. Faith, arms crossed, balanced hers to light Buffy.

The blond Slayer looked in danger of breaking something. "That was completely-"

"Different?" Dawn scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Everything's different when it's you. You know, just because you got in a fight with Giles doesn't mean you have to be such a-"

"Okay!" Robin interrupted hastily. "Not to, uh, break up this sisterly bonding moment here, but…" he gestured over the rise. "Vampire army? Fate of the Slayer line? Any of this ringing a bell?"

They turned to him in unison. Buffy gave her sister one last glare. "Yeah. But when we get back, you are _so_ grounded."

"Whatever." The two Summers women joined the others in a huddle.

Buffy took a moment to assess the situation. "All right, here's the plan. We take a look around, then we split up. Andrew, stick with Faith and Robin. If you make one noise, Faith is allowed to kill you and bury the body where Brandi's goons won't find it. Understood?" His vigorous nod was enough. She turned to her little sister. "Dawn…"

"I'm not staying with the car."

"Fine!" Buffy threw up her hands. "Stay with me. Don't get in the way and keep Andrew quiet." She was about to say more when the sound of six metal doors slamming open in unison interrupted her. With a gesture, she told the others to duck down. Then they slowly crawled army-style to lay in a line with their heads just poking over the rise.

Five vampires with torches wedged them into the hard ground to light the training area. Trucks were starting to pull in on the opposite side of the facility. Vampires in game face unloaded quickly, heading for the chalk lines inside the torch-lit area.

And then the ranks started filing out of the complex in neat, silent rows. They formed columns in the chalk lines on the dirt with minimal fuss and only a few quick greetings or snarls. Buffy did some mental arithmetic. Five vampires to a row, four rows to a column. That made a measly twenty vampires per column. Normal vampires too; there wasn't a single ubervamp in the ranks. They could deal with this.

But the rows kept coming. And coming. And coming.

Twenty minutes and one hundred rows of vampires later, the movement finally stopped. The ranks below them still stood silent. Buffy felt Andrew shift in the dirt beside her. "Oh."

"Oh," Dawn agreed from Buffy's other side. This was going to be a long night.

After nearly an hour of training, the Scoobies on the hill realized that Brandi's army was hardly the efficient force they'd presented themselves to be. After a half-hour of training, vampire attitude was beginning to surface. Small groups broke off from their columns to take a smoking break or wander back inside. Many reverted to their human faces and Buffy's Slayer hearing could pick out catcalls directed at the vampires trying to be "commanding officers." Brandi had yet to make an appearance.

"This is the bunch of idiots that've been screwing with us?" Faith demanded incredulously.

"To quote Spike, 'I am deeply shamed.'" Buffy agreed. She was surprised at the lack of nostalgia that memories of the vampire brought up. "But I still want a minor distraction to get Willow and me inside. Any ideas?"

"How minor is minor?" Robin said thoughtfully.

"Maybe three minutes? But not big enough to get them organized again."

They all considered this for a second. Andrew perked up with a sudden revelation. "Cigarette!"

They all stared at him. "Sorry, I don't smoke," Robin responded wryly.

"No!" Andrew shook his head in disgust. "I have an idea."

He beamed proudly until Faith made a "get on with it" gesture with one hand. "Spill, genius."

"Make one of their cigarettes explode. Enough to burn the one holding it and cause some ruckus."

"Oh! Like that Star Trek episode where Kirk has Scotty backload that guy's phaser so he can get to Engineering!" Dawn looked uncomfortable with the odd stares she was getting from everyone except Andrew.

The spiky-haired young man was eyeing her with blatant admiration. "You truly understand me."

Dawn shifted away from him uneasily. Buffy shook herself and looked to Willow. "Can you do it?"

"No problem," the witch confirmed. "Pick your combustible death stick."

It was her turn to receive stares. "What? Is it my fault I have a thing against legal drugs that make your lungs go all black and crinkly?"

Her best friend sighed dramatically and surveyed the vampires before her. "There." She nodded towards a small group loitering about thirty yards away from the base of their hill.

Willow followed her gaze. "The blond?" A short blond vampire in the middle of the group was waving expressively with her left hand, a glowing cigarette held casually between thumb and forefinger with the ease of an experienced smoker. The redhead witch sighed. "It'd be easier if she'd stop moving it around, but yeah."

"Wait for my mark." Buffy looked at the others. "When Willow lights it, the two of us will slip down there and mingle. There are enough of them not wearing game faces that we can blend. We go inside and try and figure out how Brandi's finding our Slayers. You guys watch these drills. Figure out who's in charge, who's not happy. We'll be back out in thirty minutes. No more." She pegged Faith with a look. "If we're not out by then…"

"We'll come in and save your butts," the other Slayer filled in.

"You'll get _your_ butts out of here and back to Ely. And then you'll call Giles."

Faith didn't look happy about that, but Robin laid a hand on her arm and she quieted, giving in. Buffy was filled with pride for a moment at how far her sister Slayer had come in the past few months. "Fine. But I don't have to like it."

Buffy stifled a grin and gave Dawn one last, almost apologetic look. Her sister smiled just a little back, and then Buffy turned to Willow. She took a deep breath. "Now."

* * *

Another vampire dissolved into oblivion at the edge of Giles' sword. It wasn't enough. More were getting through the front now: two or three at a time now instead of one. The Slayers at the front, still not fully in control of their powers or stamina, were fading quickly. Giles knew that something needed to be done or there really would be a massacre tonight. He yelled over his shoulder as he dropped his sword and wrested a vampire's dagger away from her, pulling a stake out of his pocket and pushing it smoothly into her heart. "Xander!"

"We're clear!" the young man called back, appearing at the kitchen door. "We have to move now!"

"Everyone to the back!" Giles called. "Xander, cover us!"

The quarters were just too tight for an effective retreat, but they had no other choice. Bolts from crossbows flew over Giles' head as he bent double and dragged a wounded Slayer towards the kitchen. Rona and the other Slayers near the front scrambled towards the kitchen as well, temporarily protected by the arrows of their friends. Giles did a quick head count as they all congregated in the kitchen and Rona pulled her mother through the kitchen door as vampires started flooding into the living room. Ten Slayers still standing. Two injured. That left…his gaze drifted to the front and felt his heart freeze for just a moment.

Jennifer's body lay lifeless across the front door, impeding the invading vampires even in her death.

With an intense pang of sorrow that he shoved aside to deal with later, Giles closed the kitchen door just in time to block two thrown daggers. Rona was already through the back door and Xander was coaxing others through after her. "Come on, ladies. Someone grab her sword! You two help her walk. You're going to have to move it. Everyone with crossbows, watch our backs!"

Giles waited until the last one was through before walking towards Xander himself. The two men shared a glance for a long moment, neither of them saying the thought that lay so heavy on their hearts. This could be it. Finally, after seven years, miles away from their mismatched family, they could die at the hands of a gang of vampires.

The Englishman read his resolve in Xander's gaze. _Not without a fight, we're not. _Instead, Giles bent and picked up a discarded short sword, handing it to his friend. "I believe we've been left as the rear guard."

Xander grinned, and the dark look in his eye reminded Giles of himself a long time ago, back when violence and the thrill of the fight had been his lifeblood…. This young man before him truly was not the naïve schoolboy Giles had first met in the Sunnydale library. The kitchen door broke off half its hinges and the two men turned.

"First one to twenty?" Xander joked as they stepped forward and moved around the small island in the center of the room to stay out of each other's sword reach.

"As long as I get a handicap for my old age."

"Why is it that you only pull the age card when we're about to die?"

"May I remind you that we're _always_ about to die."

Xander couldn't resist a grin. "Exactly."

The door broke in.

* * *

Buffy and Willow walked through the milling vampire crowd without mishap. The redhead glanced nervously around and hurried to keep up with Buffy, whispering in her ear. "I feel like I should be in a slinky top or something."

"You look fine," her friend assured her. "Come on, we're almost to a door."

"Where's Brandi?"

Buffy shook her head in bewilderment, wondering the same thing. "I have no idea. But I'm not complaining."

The two women slipped inside the complex and Buffy instantly noted how much quieter it was. She also realized that she had no idea which direction to go in, or even what they were looking for. She turned to Willow. "Any suggestions?"

The witch shrugged. "Straight?"

They went straight.

They found the room with the computers behind the third door they tried.

* * *

Andrew was getting antsy. "What time is it?"

Faith made an exasperated noise and glanced down the ridge to where Robin and Dawn were camped out. "Five minutes since the last time you asked me. Now will you shut up and pay attention?"

Her companion turned back to the vampires below, moving his arms underneath him to prop himself up a little. He rocked back and forth a bit. It didn't help. "I have to pee."

"Are you trippin'?" Faith groaned. "Fine. Go back to the Jeep and do your stuff."

"By myself?" Andrew whined back plaintively. "In the dark?"

"Don't make me smack you back there," the Slayer warned. Andrew didn't wait to see if she'd hold true to her threat. He slithered backwards, but that just made his situation worse so he stood up. He might have gotten away with it if he hadn't stepped on a loose rock. With a startled yelp, Andrew toppled down the dune and landed directly at the feet of a pissed-off looking blond vampire with a burn on her left hand.

"Well well. What do we have here?"

* * *

"Buffy, this is…this is amazing!" Willow gushed as she scanned the readouts on a computer with an expert's eye. "She has a magickal tracking system formatted and downloaded into her hard drive!"

Buffy was nervous and on edge, standing watch at the door. "Great, Will. How can we take it?"

The hacker took a moment to think about that, casting around the room. Her eye landed on a floppy disk on top of the monitor. Perfect. She popped it into the drive, entered several keystrokes that decimated the "high security" firewall around the files she wanted, and clicked the "download" option. "It's going now."

It wasn't until the third page of information scrolled by that Willow discovered exactly how Brandi had managed to get the spell. "Oh my goddess…"

* * *

Xander didn't know how long he'd been fighting, except that he'd stopped counting after he'd staked number twenty-two. The world had dwindled until all it contained was blood and dust and sweat and the taste of gall in the back of his throat.

He could vaguely feel the cool wind from the door behind him brushing across his cheek. Giles was a blurred form in his peripheral vision, a twisting shadow on his blind side that dusted vampire after vampire with an ease that Xander envied. But he knew that his friend was at least as tired and abused as he was.

They wouldn't last much longer.

He didn't even hear Rona's urgent cries from the back yard. In fact the first thing to register outside his battle haze was the sharp tap of Mrs. Hullen's rolling pin between his shoulder blades. "Come on, young man. It's time to go."

Xander came to his senses, pushed her out the door again and dusted a vampire to get to Giles. "Time to go!" he shouted in the taller man's ear.

Giles snapped out of it a second quicker than Xander had and the two men stumbled through the door, slamming it shut behind them. There was no time to talk. Rona's cries urged them forward and they flew towards a small hill thirty feet from the house that the Slayer had chosen for their last stand.

The two men stumbled to a halt in front of Rona, panting and completely exhausted. She shook her head in amazement. "You two are insane, you know that?"

Xander managed a weak smile at her and turned to face the house.

The place was crawling in vampires. Xander could see them through the windows; their demons tinting the warmth of what had once been a cozy home. A few more were coming around the sides.

Giles took a deep breath and looked to Annabelle. "Mrs. Hullen?"

She gave a sad, wise nod and sighed heavily. "You better do it quick-like. I don't wanna see my good house suffer more than it has to."

With a soft smile Giles turned to Rona and reached for her crossbow, but she shook her head. "I'll do it."

It only took one arrow to set the house ablaze. In the eerie light of her burning home, Rona turned to Giles. "There aren't many left."

"They'll do their best," he replied with certainty. He was right.

Six vampires rushed the hill. Three were dusted before they made it within twenty yards. Two nearly managed to break a Slayer's neck before they were dusted from in front and behind.

The last one never stood a chance. Mrs. Hullen staked the black-haired demon girl with her rolling pin before she even had the opportunity to pounce.

Xander and Giles shared a triumphant smile…and then Xander realized exactly how much his body hurt. He had just enough time to register that he was falling before he hit the ground with an "oomph!" Rona and Giles knelt next to him.

"Xander?" came the Slayer's worried voice.

"I'm good," he assured her in a woozy voice. "Just need to lay here for a second."

"Capital idea," Giles concurred. He stretched out next to his friend on the ground with a groan. Xander rolled onto his back and the two men stared up into the lightening sky. They were bloody, beaten to a pulp and incredibly sore. Giles had a long cut across his collarbone, what felt like several cracked ribs and a sprained ankle. Xander's hair was matted with blood from a bash to his crown, his left shoulder felt like it had been popped out of his socket and he probably had a concussion. But they were alive. Just before Xander's eyes drifted shut, he saw gold light spill across the inky blue sky.

Sunrise had arrived in Mississippi. All but one of them had lived to see it.

His head lolled sideways to smile at Giles, but the other man was already unconscious. Darkness washed across Xander's vision, and he fell into blissful sleep.

* * *

Buffy looked to her friend in concern to find Willow slumped into a seat, staring blankly at the screen before her. "Willow?" No response. "Willow!"

Her friend snapped out of it and turned to Buffy with tears shining in her eyes. "She killed them, Buffy."

"Who?"

"The Coven. She got the locator spell from them, and then she killed every single one of them."

"The Coven. The Slayers we sent there. She got the locator spell from them, and then she killed every single one of them."

Buffy closed her eyes in pain for a moment. She had never personally met the witches in Westbury, but she knew how much the women had meant to Willow during her recovery. "I'm so sorry, Will." More Slayer deaths, more lives snuffed because of one of her decisions. She couldn't grasp it.

Her friend dried her eyes and her resolve hardened. "She'll pay. It's part of the Gaia I learned at the Coven. Bad energy has to balance out good energy." The two friends' eyes met. "She has a lot of bad energy coming to her."

The computer gave a soft beep and Willow pocketed the floppy. She hurried over to Buffy. Her friend put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's get out of here and find a way to destroy this girl."

Willow stopped to look back at the banks of computers before her. "Buffy?"

The Slayer was itching to get out of this place. She bounced on her toes impatiently. "Yeah?"

"Wait." Willow went back to the computer and typed in a smattering of more keystrokes. One by one, every computer in the room went black, scrolled with white type, then turned blue. With a smile of grim satisfaction, the woman straightened and walked back to Buffy. "Now we can go."

"What did you do?"

"Erased the program from her files."

"Just like that?"

That same smile flickered across Willow's face again. "Spells aren't the only magick I can do."

They hurried towards the exit. Buffy checked her watch. "We have three minutes to get back to the guys before they leave without us." When they rushed out of the complex, still trying to look nonchalant, they saw that most of the vampires were gathered in a circle at the end of the training area. Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Buffy hurried Willow across and they slipped back to the Jeep without being noticed. The others were back on the rise looking down at the gathering. Buffy crawled up and settled next to Faith. "We got it."

"Great," came Faith's reply. She nodded towards the ring of vampires below them. "They got Andrew."

Buffy looked down…and watched in horror as a tied and gagged Andrew was forced to kneel in the center of the clear space the vampires had left. A blond girl was sauntering towards him, and Buffy didn't need Robin's whispered confirmation of what she instinctively knew. "Brandi."

For a moment, it looked like the psychopath was going to decapitate Andrew bare handed then and there, but then she seemed to get control of herself. She said something that even Buffy couldn't catch from so far away and two vampires broke from the crowd, forced Andrew to his feet and nearly dragged him towards one of the cars.

Buffy felt an odd sense of pride when she saw that he was putting up enough fight to annoy them out of their undead minds. _You get 'em, Andrew._ Dawn gave a strangled sob and moved forward, but Buffy grabbed her and pulled her back down. "No, Dawn!"

"They'll kill him!" she cried.

"No they won't," her older sister assured her as she brought Dawn's head to her shoulder. "I promise, Dawnie. We'll get him back."

Brandi issued more orders and vampires hurried towards the surrounding dunes. Robin scooted back. "We have to go. They'll find us soon."

Buffy nodded and dragged Dawn backwards even as she looked after the distant shape of Andrew with a heavy heart. They _would_ find him. But that meant they had to get away with their own lives first.

It wasn't until halfway back to Ely that someone spoke. Faith turned around in the front seat to look at Willow. "So what'd you get, Red?"

The witch took a deep breath and tore her gaze from the window to meet Faith's dark eyes. "The locator spell."

"Hot stuff!" the Slayer replied with a grin.

"Maybe," Willow sighed deeply. "I just hope it was worth it."

Her words hung heavy in the car and settled on the others like a blanket. "It was," Dawn whispered. It was unclear who she was trying to convince. "It has to be."

As they reached the outskirts of Ely, sunrise kissed the horizon. Yet no relief came with the golden dawn. They had survived the night.

Surviving the day ahead would be far, far more difficult.

* * *

**Author's Note: I have one word to explain my tardiness in posting: Finals.**

**I hope this was worth the wait. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. The battle scenes proved challenging, and I believe that the end product was the best I could do. The lyrics belong to Led Zeppelin from their incredible song "The Battle of Evermore."**

**Thank you for reading this, and look for coming chapters soon. Once again, 16 will be out in around seven days. Review and tell me what you think. Thank you for everyone who continues to support this humble fanfiction. Cheers! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_"We didn't start the fire!  
It was always burning since the world's been turning.  
We didn't start the fire!  
No, we didn't light it,  
But we tried to fight it…."_

_

* * *

_

It was an exhausted group that stumbled into the tiny Ely hotel room early that miserable morning. They stared at each other, still in shock, until Buffy finally shook herself out of her daze and took a deep breath. "I think it's time we got some sleep. I'll…" she trailed off and pressed a hand to her temple, trying to ward off an impending headache. "I'll call Xander, see how things are going. We'll come up with a plan after everyone's gotten a few hours of shuteye, all right?"

There were no complaints; everyone else was just too tired. Without another word, the other four shuffled out of the room, Willow's arm around Dawn's shoulders. Faith lingered behind for just a moment. "You gonna be OK, B?"

"Five by five," Buffy assured her with a weak smile. The other Slayer gave her a knowing look and left, shutting the door behind her.

Buffy managed another shuddering breath, took out her cell phone and dialed Xander's number. It rang…and rang…and rang again. Pick up, Xand, she silently urged her friend. Please, you need to pick up. A click sounded and Buffy nearly collapsed in relief when she heard a voice say, "Hello?" Then she instantly started to worry again when she realized it wasn't Xander or Giles who answered.

"Rona?" Buffy's voice was urgent and she ran an agitated hand through her already disheveled hair. "Where's Xander? And Giles? What happened? Where-"

The other Slayer cut Buffy off with a laugh. "Calm down, Buffy. We're fine." Sadness tinged Rona's voice. "…Most of us, anyway. Giles and Xander are sleeping."

Buffy sank to the floor as the tension drained out of her body. She let her head fall back with a thump on the bed, spreading her legs out in front of her. "What happened?"

"We were screwed," came the black Slayer's frank assessment. "There was no way we woulda made it to sunrise if they hadn't come. Xander said the spell Willow did was a total joyride, too. Giles said something about it reminding him of his Eghyon days, whatever that means." Buffy couldn't help a little smirk. She'd have to tease him about that later. Their fight from earlier flashed through her mind and she winced, forcing it out of her thoughts so she could concentrate on Rona's voice. "As soon as they showed up in my living room, the vampires got through."

Something occurred to Buffy that she hadn't had time to think about before. "Wait a second. How'd they get in in the first place?"

"Plaque by the door."

"Oh." Buffy winced again, remembering Sunnydale High's "Enter all ye seeking knowledge" sign. "Sorry. I guess we didn't cover written invitations in our crash course."

"Yeah, that could have been nice to know," Rona agreed with a hint of irony in her voice. "But I'm over it. Anyway, Giles got us organized in about five seconds and we did pretty good keeping them at bay until…" her voice trailed off. "Until we lost Jennifer."

Buffy felt a sudden connection to the Slayer that she'd had so little in common with before now. Rona had lost people too: a Slayer under her command. It was selfish, but Buffy suddenly felt amazingly comforted that someone else finally understood what she'd gone through the past seven years. "I'm sorry, Rona."

"Me too," came the soft reply. Her voice perked up again as she got to the exciting part of the story. "Then Giles told us to retreat, and we all hustled out the back. Only…" Rona's voice suddenly dripped with admiration. "You should have seen them!"

"Who?"

"Giles and Xander!" The enthusiasm in her voice was catching. "They stayed behind in the kitchen and kept us covered while we hightailed it out of there. They were amazing! Must have killed forty vamps between the two of them."

Buffy stared at the phone in bewilderment. "_My_ Giles and Xander?"

"I'm telling you, Buffy: without the two of them, we might not have made it out of there. They're both gonna be sore for about a year, but it was worth it. I've never seen two people fight like that. Are you sure Slayers can't be guys?"

"Pretty sure," Buffy assured her. Her head was spinning. "So then what?"

"The rest of us got to a hill in the backyard and waited for them, but it was like they'd totally forgotten we were there. My mom finally went in and practically dragged them out."

"Your mom?"

A heavy sigh came over the line. "Yeah. Long story. So then we were all standing there staring at my house when Giles looks at my mom and says, 'Mrs. Hullen?' And I don't know how she understood him, but she just gave him permission, and then he went for his crossbow and I figured it out."

Buffy nodded her comprehension. "You burned the house down."

"Instant vamp candles," Rona confirmed. "After that there were only a few left for us to deal with."

"Where are you now?"

"A hotel in town. You should've seen the weird looks we got coming in, but when Giles paid in cash they decided not to ask questions." Buffy could hear Rona shifting around a little. "How's he paying for all of this, anyway?"

"I-" Buffy stopped. She'd never thought to ask. "I don't actually know. You'll have to ask him."

"I think I just might when he wakes up. You want one of them to call you when they do?"

"Please. We're OK for the most part and we got some news…there's a lot I need to fill them in on."

"What's up?" Caution edged Rona's voice. Buffy knew the feeling. How much longer were they going to have to fight before they finally got a vacation?

"A lot of things, but…Brandi took Andrew."

There was a moment of silence, but when Rona finally responded it wasn't at all the way Buffy had expected. The black Slayer started to laugh.

"Rona!" Buffy cried, mildly offended for Andrew's sake.

"Sorry," she managed through gasps of laughter. "But come on, he was the most annoying person on the planet when he wasn't tied up! Brandi doesn't stand a chance."

The corners of Buffy's mouth twitched despite her attempts to stop them. "You may be right."

"He's probably driving her insane with Star Wars trivia. She'll be begging you to take him back by tonight." The confidence in her voice warmed Buffy.

"Let's hope you're right." Buffy's vision blurred a little, a signal of just how tired she was. "Have Xander call me when he gets up, all right?"

"Will do."

Buffy went to hang up, but she stopped in time to say one last thing. "Rona?"

"Yeah?"

"Welcome to command."

The other Slayer's voice was somber. "Remind me to never make fun of you guys again. I don't know how you lived through this for seven years." With a last goodbye, Rona disconnected the call.

Buffy hung up, suddenly feeling old and tired. The black cloud of Andrew's absence hung heavily over her and made her edgy with anxiety, but in the end her exhaustion won the battle. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Andrew awoke slowly. His head was spinning and pounding like he'd just fallen down three sets of stairs. Or like he'd been through a matter transfusion beam and gotten reassembled wrong on the other end. Or like a big mean vampire had knocked him out when he wouldn't get into the car with Brandi. The young man groaned and tried to fall back into sleep. Maybe if he slept long enough, it would turn out this was all just a bad dream and he'd wake up in the hotel room. He risked opening his eyes. The door of the car greeted him and he resisted the urge to heave a sigh. No such luck. How many times do I have to get taken hostage before I get a Spidey-sense?

He groaned a little and tried to sit up, but a heavy hand fell on the back of his neck and kept him pressed against the window. The harsh voice of the vampire muscleman who'd knocked Andrew out the first time rasped through the tiny car. "He's awake."

Brandi's cold voice came from the front seat, but Andrew couldn't move his head to see her. "Knock him out. I don't want to deal with him until we can tie him up somewhere."

"That's OK! I'll be qui-" with a swat to the back of the head, Andrew spiraled back into the blackness of unconsciousness.

* * *

A harsh noise shattered the soft gray planes of Xander's sleep. The young man tried to resist. He really did. But with even a hint of awareness came the memories of the previous night and with a heartfelt groan, Xander entered the land of the conscious. With a glance at Giles' prone form in the other bed, he picked up the phone that was still ringing persistently on the nightstand and ran a hand through his hair. "What?"

"Sorry, Xander, didn't want to wake you up." At the sound of Rona's voice he reached self-consciously for his eye patch. Giles was the only person that Xander felt relatively comfortable leaving it off around, and even then only at night. When it was dark and no one else could see either, Xander could forget he needed it.

"No problem, Rona. G-man's still sound asleep. What's the sitch?"

"Buffy called your cell. I thought I'd wait 'till you guys woke up, but it's almost eleven and…she said there's trouble."

Xander was fully awake and reaching over to shake Giles into wakefulness before he'd finished his next sentence, silently cursing that they'd slept nearly two hours later than they'd planned. "We'll be out in five minutes. We'll talk over breakfast." Without waiting for a reply he hung up and turned back to the Watcher still mostly asleep on the other bed. "Giles!"

The older man groaned and rolled over a little to glare at Xander, opening one groggy green eye. "I don't care. I don't know what you want, and I don't care."

Under other circumstances Xander would have found his mentor's teenager-like tone worth a tease, but his mind was already on other things. "Rona says Buffy called. There's trouble."

With a muffled curse, Giles was up and out of bed.

The two men met Rona at one of the tiny tables in the outdoor courtyard of the motel. Giles held up a hand to stop Rona from speaking as they sat. "Tea."  
At the black girl's confused look, Xander shook his head. "Trust me. You don't want to deal with him until he's gotten caffeine into his system." Rona couldn't help a grin as Giles shot his friend a mild glare with absolutely no real venom behind it.

"There's a buffet inside, but-" the two Scoobies were out of their seats before she could finish her sentence. With a resigned sigh she stood and followed.

Ten minutes later, they were settled back at their table with plates of food, coffee for Xander, juice for Rona and a mug of steaming tea for Giles. As Rona inhaled the salty smell of bacon that wafted up from her plate, she realized that getting something to eat before they started had definitely been a good idea. "Food before plans," she joked without much actual humor. "Another command strategy I'll have to remember." She felt her head clear and energy course back into her system as she started in on her food. Before she gave them the bad news, Rona took a moment to look over these two friends who had become their saviors last night.

They'd looked better. They were both battered and bruised almost beyond recognition. Giles was favoring his right ankle when he walked and Xander's hand kept straying to the bandage covering the wound on his head. "You guys look like death," she commented as she finished off her bacon and started in on her eggs.

Xander and Giles traded an amused glance at Rona's unintentional use of the Watcher's favorite post-beating comment. "I assure you we've survived much worse," the older man assured her. Rona cast them an incredulous look, but Xander just took a big bite of omelette without commenting.

The Slayer vowed to wheedle those stories out of them later. She let them finish off the food on their plates before she reluctantly broached the reason for their morning meeting. "So, Buffy called a little earlier…" She didn't miss the wince that flashed across Giles' face at the mention of his Slayer's name, but she decided not to comment. When she hesitated, the British man gave her an encouraging little smile and gestured for her to just say it. With a deep breath, she obliged. "She said that none of them are seriously injured or anything." Twin sighs of relief greeted this statement and Xander slumped back in his chair a little. Before they could ask, Rona plowed forward. "But…not all of them made it back."

They stared at her in wary surprise. "And what exactly does that statement entail, Rona?" Came the disturbingly calm question from Giles.

Rona closed her eyes for a second. "Brandi's got Andrew as a hostage."

For a long moment, no one spoke. Rona waited nervously, glancing between the men before her as she waited for a reaction. The ones she got weren't exactly what she'd expected.

Xander just groaned and buried his head in his hands. "That idiot," he mumbled darkly, running his hands through his hair. They both glanced over at the senior member of their trio, expecting a thunderous rant or maybe just some disappointed scolding.

They didn't get either. Giles' stern expression lasted about three seconds…and then he started to laugh. It was something Rona had never seen him do before; the only signs of humor Giles had ever showed around the Potentials (and probably Xander too, from the shocked look on his face) was the occasional wry grin or, once in a great while, the full-on heart-stopping smile that lit up his entire face. Rona wasn't one for older guys, but with a smile like his, she figured a little appreciation was allowed. Now, with him doubled over in his seat with his hands clutching his ribs, it was impossible not to smile with him.

All too soon the moment was over, and Giles' expression became somber again in a matter of seconds once he managed to get a grip on it. "Brandi got more than she bargained for taking him. I think we all know just how abysmal a hostage Andrew makes." Pointedly ignoring the other two's shell-shocked expressions from his laughing fit, he held out a hand to Rona. "Phone, please."

She passed it over without a word, still staring at him. Giles started to dial before he remembered that Buffy would most likely pick up on the other end. The Watcher had no energy to deal with the consequences of their earlier argument. With a weary sigh, he handed the phone to Xander. The only explanation he offered to the other man's raised eyebrow was, "I think it'd be best if you called."

Xander shook his head in despair and took the phone. "You two really need to get over this whole not talking to each other thing."

Rona could have sworn she heard Giles mutter, "She started it," under his breath, but she couldn't be sure.

Someone on the other end of the call picked up. From the ensuing half of the conversation that she could see, Rona was once again amazed at how easily the Scoobies seemed to handle impending doom.

Xander's face lit up despite the pain that the broad smile must have caused his battered cheek muscles. "Buffy!" The Slayer started in on a long stream of words that Rona could only hear the louder parts of from her seat across the table. Xander interrupted her mid-syllable with, "I'm fine, Giles is alive, we're both gonna be sore until this time two years from now but we can walk. C'mon, Buff. What's the news?"

The parts of his skin that were still fair underneath and in between his bruises paled as he listened. "Five hundred." The resignation in his voice sounded like it had gotten a lot of practice over the last seven years, and Giles reacted to it almost instinctively. His head came up so his eyes could lock with Xander's, and he seemed to read more into those two words than Rona possibly could, because he let out a groan and his head fell back to rest against his chair.

Then Buffy was talking again and this time it was Xander who closed his eyes in pain at yet another revelation. "I'll tell him. When you do want us there?" He looked up at Giles expectantly and took the pen that the other man was already holding out for him. Rona shook her head in amazement at their seemingly telepathic communication as Xander scribbled on a wrinkled napkin. "Are her parents paying for it?"

Rona shared a confused glance with Giles; they'd both lost track of the conversation. Xander finished writing and handed back the pen, which Giles accepted with a raised eyebrow. "No worries, Buff. We'll be there by tomorrow." There was one more pause and Rona could hear the first half of Buffy's, "Bye, Xand."

"See you soon," Xander replied, and he hung up with a sigh.

For a beat the other two looked at him expectantly, but when the young man gave no indication of speaking Giles prompted him with, "Well?"

He took a deep breath and shook his head sadly at Giles.

The Watcher's eyes misted over dangerously. "The Coven?"

Receiving only a nod in confirmation, Giles closed his eyes tightly, reigning in his emotions. More friends dead, another twenty Slayers gone. He couldn't even feel the impact of those losses anymore.

Rona paled. "I knew some of those Slayers," she said softly. She felt sick.

Putting a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder, Xander gave him a moment to collect himself before he passed over the napkin and Giles tilted it so Rona could read it as she leaned forward in her seat. "Battle Mountain, 4:50." She gave him a confused glance and sat back again. "What's that?"

Xander grinned like a big brother who was about to hand out Christmas presents. "That's the arrival time for Vi's flight in Nevada." Over Rona's happy squeal, he turned to Giles. "Can we get there at close to the same time?"

The British man sighed heavily, wiping a hand across his eyes that the other two politely ignored. "I imagine so, with enough convincing and charm. Just the three of us?"

Rona got over her delighted shock and joined in, "How can you get tickets that quick?"

"I have my ways," came the reply.

The Slayer just shook her head and drank her juice. "Of course you do."

* * *

The second time Andrew woke, it was to the familiar feel of rope around his wrists and the hardness of a wood chair pressing against his sore spine. He didn't bother trying to wake up slowly or quietly; he knew it didn't matter where he was and if he was going to get knocked out again, he wanted it to happen soon so he didn't have to think about the fact that he was a hostage. _Again. This sucks!_ He vaguely wondered if he could put this on his business card. The young man amused himself for several minutes dreaming up different letterheads. "Andrew Wells: Professional Hostage. Whimpering at no extra charge. Rope included."

He raised his head to look around blearily, trying to blink the sleep crust from his eyes. Eventually, the small office he was imprisoned in came into reluctant focus. Andrew was tied to the chair behind the desk and there was a small couch next to the door across from him. The place was a mess: the dark green carpet was stained with what looked like blood in several places, the wastebasket in the corner was overflowing with takeout reside, and the lopsided desk was covered in stacks of manila folders with crumpled papers only half inside. On his right, two large windows had been covered over with what looked like black paint and tin foil. The light fixture above his head was missing two out of its intended four light bulbs, casting the shoddy room into a weird half-light.

Even Warren's basement had been better than this. Only one thing was missing to really make this whole thing really suck beyond the telling, but fortunately she wasn't in the room.

Just as he thought this, Brandi slammed open the door and marched into the room. Andrew wilted in his chair. "I've got to stop thinking stuff like that," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Brandi's icy eyes and dangerously quiet voice drilled into his skull. Andrew wondered if the tingles in his extremities were because she was dissolving him slowly out of pure spite or because they were just falling asleep.

"N-Nothing," he stammered, scooting back in his chair a little to get as far away from her and her cold, creepy smile as he could in the confined space.

"Good," she drawled slowly, her accent coming out on the vowels. "Now," the blond continued, sauntering closer to her captive. "I think we have some things to talk about. Don't you?"

At her cold smile, Andrew could only shiver.

* * *

When they finally landed in Battle Mountain, Rona was the first one off the plane. With more weariness (though significantly less luggage), Xander hurried after her, leaving Giles to help Mrs. Hullen with her bags. The elderly black woman had insisted that the only way her little girl was going to go off and fight the vampires was if she came along.

Giles had at first been adamant in his refusal, but then Annabelle had put her deeply lined hands on her hips and given him a look that reminded him so much of Joyce that he'd actually lost track of what he was saying. After Giles had seen the resemblance once, he couldn't stop seeing Joyce Summers in every action and syllable of Rona's mother. It was impossible to tell her no.

So he waited patiently as she shuffled out of the gate, her bag slung over his shoulder as he kept one hand at her elbow to help her along, despite her vocal objections that she didn't need it.

"Young man, if you don't let me walk on my own I'll hit you with that suitcase!"

That brought on one of his rare full-blown smiles, his British accent overriding her southern one as they turned the last corner to the terminal. "Mrs. Hullen, as much as I appreciate the compliment, I am old and extremely bruised. I was hoping that you could hold _me_ up."

Annabelle shook one bony finger threateningly at him. "If I hear one more 'Mrs. Hullen' out of you, son, I'll smack you into next week."

Giles bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, something he hadn't done since his early days with Jenny. The humor sparkled in his eyes as he and Annabelle finally reached Xander, Rona, Buffy, Willow and Dawn at the entrance to the terminal.

Buffy couldn't help but notice the way the glow in his eyes faded when they came to rest on her. Before she could say anything, Dawn nearly tackled the man in a bear hug. He stumbled backwards a step, laughing even as he held the young girl away from him. "Dawn, as glad as I am to see you, I'd like to keep my few remaining ribs intact."

"Oh!" the younger Summers girl quickly let go. Then her sympathy was replaced again with eager enthusiasm. "Rona says you guys totally kicked butt!"

Xander let go of Willow gingerly and managed to pull his mouth into a smile despite the cut running across his bottom lip. "We totally kicked butt," he confirmed, his gaze catching Giles' as the two men shared an understanding look.

The British man nodded in agreement, giving Rona a proud smile. "It seems the Hullens rule their Slayers with an iron fist." He wasn't serious, and neither of the black women took it as such, though Rona did give him a light slap on the arm out of habit.

"When does Vi get in?" the Slayer asked eagerly, bouncing on her toes.

Xander gestured for her to turn around. "About now, it looks like."

Rona whirled to see her friend and fellow Slayer making her way across the terminal. Vi's thin form and colored beanie were unmistakable. Seconds later, the two girls met in the middle of the room, hugging fiercely and talking so fast that their words overlapped.

Buffy watched them with a little smile and shooed Dawn over to them. As soon as her little sister was out of earshot, the Slayer turned to Giles expectantly. Xander and Willow followed suit, the four of them forming a huddle that excluded the rest of the normal world laughing and moving around them.

Giles managed to interpret his Slayer's silence correctly without looking directly at her as he reported in a soft voice. "We were very lucky. The vampires were helplessly disorganized." His green eyes darkened as he looked at the happy reunion making its way towards them. "If we hadn't left the house when we did, we would be dead. All of us." Xander nodded in silent agreement, his face grim. Giles lifted his eyes to meet Willow's, and finally Buffy's. "I was quite sure for several minutes that we weren't going to make it. Frankly, the fact that we escaped with only one casualty and minor injuries is astounding." His eyes drifted away again, missing the disturbed look on Buffy's face. When he spoke next, it was more to himself than the other Scoobies. "We need to organize them. They're not ready for apocalypse, not like they should be. They need a Council."

Buffy opened her mouth to speak for the first time when the girls reached them. During the ensuing round of hugs and hello's, the Slayer caught her Watcher's eye and held it. Though an apology was never spoken by either of them, the message was understood…and, for the most part, accepted.

Dawn pretended not to notice when Giles put his arm around Buffy's shoulders for a moment before he went to give Vi a careful hug.

* * *

Andrew spat another mouthful of blood onto the carpet, his jaw throbbing painfully. His head swam, making the dull lights of the office shake and twist even though he was pretty sure he wasn't moving. His wrists were sore and chafing from the tight ropes holding him to the chair. As Brandi's hand came back for another blow, the drama they'd been playing out again and again for hours started up once more. "What is their plan? Where is the Slayer?" she demanded, pausing to give him chance to answer for the hundredth time.

For the hundredth time, Andrew reminded himself he was a good guy in the Slayer's circle of trust and responded, "I don't know!" As her hand began its descent, something inside Andrew snapped. "It wasn't her fault!"

Brandi's fist paused midair, suspended by her surprise at a deviant in the only words he'd spoken since their "conversation" had started. "What?"

The young man's bruised head fell to his chest, his words mumbled to the floor. "Your brother. It wasn't Buffy's fault."

His captor's pretty face twisted in disgust. "She killed him!" Brandi spat, her cold blue eyes radiating hatred at the very memory. She hit him again, a blow to his temple that sent black spots dancing across his vision. "Buffy Summers, the _mighty Slayer_," Andrew winced at the venom in her voice, "killed a decent human being. She killed my brother! And now she's going to pay. She's nothing. She's a monster, a freak blond who the Powers screwed up even more with super powers."

She grinned triumphantly at Andrew's silence, taking it for defeat. She knelt before him, using a hand to force his head up, her eyes lit with feverish hate, his closed against the pain in his head. "Where's your Slayer now, Andrew? Where're your…friends? Is that what they let you call them?" She leaned forward even more, murmuring softly to his cheek. "Poor, poor Andrew. No one to care about him, all on his own." Her voice grew harsh again and she wrenched his head closer. "You're nothing to them. Do you hear me? Why do you think no one's come for you? They won't find you, Andrew, and they won't try."

She stood, smiling viciously down at him. "You're not one of them. Buffy and her little gang are nothing more than a group of has-beens that think they can save the world. They're not the good guys, friend." Brandi's face was sickeningly sincere when she said this, like she really did believe it. "The Slayer is the monster. Not me."

Finally, Andrew opened his eyes and raised his head, as if flooded with sudden strength. To Brandi's surprise, his pupils were no longer clouded with pain or doubt. His whole face shone with a mix of disgust, righteous anger…and pity. "You're wrong," he whispered defiantly.

She stared at him in shock, but before she could react he continued, drawing himself up in his chair as if he wasn't tied to it. "Buffy is a good person. One of the only good people I've ever met." His eyes were sad for a moment as he looked back on distant memories. "And maybe she's not my friend, but she lets me help, and that's good enough." He cut Brandi off again as she tried to speak, his voice gaining momentum and passion as he glared up at her.

"They didn't start any of this! Do you think it was their idea to go around killing vampires and demons? Buffy's defending the world against freaky creatures that Scully and Mulder couldn't dream up, and all she gets from the world is more bad stuff!

"She's not perfect! No hero is! She's died and come back and she's really sucky at finding dates and making speeches, but she's beautiful, and strong, and she's not afraid to die for the people she cares about. And her hair is shiny," he added as an afterthought before getting focused again. "And maybe-maybe they won't come find me. But that doesn't matter." His voice grew softer, almost like he was talking more to himself now than to her. Brandi watched him, fascinated despite herself as he looked up to hold her eyes again. "It doesn't matter. You know why? Because I'm a good guy now too, even if you don't think so. I've-I've beaten the dark side, and I'm never going back!"

For a long moment the room rang with silence before he finished in a soft, sure voice that did more to rattle her than anything else he'd said so far. "And know what else, Ms. Frankenstein? Buffy's gonna get you. Because you're evil, and mean, and you pick on people who don't deserve it and you shot Mr. Giles' friend and you've killed a bunch of Slayers. _You're_ the monster." His expression was illuminated with a hard smile that seemed out of place on him. He looked…older. "And it's the Slayer's job to get the monsters. She's like Spiderman or Superman and…and all the rest of the Justice League put together! And I can't _wait _to see what she does to you when she finally puts you away."

This time, when her fist came swinging down, Andrew didn't do a thing to dodge it. As he felt the blow to his temple ring through his head and watched his vision darken, the young man greeted unconsciousness with a smile. _At least this time, _he thought with satisfaction, _I deserve it._

_

* * *

_

Faith looked down at the map spread out on the hotel room table, head tilted. "So that's him?" she questioned Willow skeptically.

"That's him," the witch confirmed, pointing at a small blue dot shining dully just outside of Carson, Nevada. "I guess being around Slayers so much gave his aura a boost. I don't think I would have found him otherwise."

The rest of them watched the dot that represented Andrew for a moment before Buffy nodded. "Robin, take Rona and do a sweep of the streets, see if you can find out anything new. Faith? Vi could use a workout. This place has a decent gym, see what you can do." The four nodded and headed out without much ado. Dawn sighed and grabbed her backpack, following Faith and Vi.

Buffy let her go, and the four Scoobies and Annabelle shared a moment of silence before Xander winced and stood from his chair, leaning heavily on Willow for support. "Buff, if our powwow's wrapped up, I'm off to bed. I need sleep." He groaned as his back popped. "Vicadin. And sleep."

He and Willow hobbled out of the room. Buffy looked to Giles, and he nodded wearily. "I'll call the front desk and reserve a few more rooms. Shouldn't be any trouble."

His Slayer nodded gratefully, gave him a smile, and waved to Mrs. Hullen before following the others out.

Annabelle watched as Giles moved tiredly over to the phone. "Just how much you got stored away, Rupert?"

The Watcher smiled a little. "It's not all mine, I assure you. A…a dear friend left me a large sum of money when she died."

"I should thank you anyway," the old woman declared. "You're doin' a lot of good for these young uns."

His expression at that was hard to read, but there was a light in the back of his eyes that she hadn't seen before now. "Don't thank me, Annabelle." His smile grew a little. "Thank Anya Jenkins. I think the two of you would have gotten along."

Annabelle left him to his calls, harboring the notion that she'd just been paid an enormous compliment.

* * *

**Author's Note: I exist! I want to officially apologize for the ridiculously long break I took from this without notice. I'm afraid that my summer hiatus wasn't entirely of my own choosing, but real life's gotten rather hectic and it's been hard to find time to sit down and tackle my writer's block. I hope you'll forgive me, and I hope even more that you liked the chapter! I'm sorry it was so expositional, but the next chapter is going to be insanely action-oriented, so bear with me! Andrew's speech is probably the funnest thing I've had the chance to write in ages.**

**Billy Joel has all the rights to the opening lyrics (and if any of you started humming the verses to "We Didn't Start the Fire" when you saw that, you get bonus points :) ) and various multi-billion dollar companies own Vicadin, the Justice League and most of the other pop-culture references I used in there.**

**Raise your hand if you guessed Anya way before everyone else found out here!**

**I intend to finish this story by February. I owe Sumiko a big thank you for motivating me enough to grit my teeth and get this posted. Cheers, and thanks for the reviews!  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"_You may need me there  
To carry all your weight,  
But you're no burden, I assure…"_

_

* * *

_

For a long time, the only thing that registered in Andrew's foggy brain was that his head really, _really _hurt. He just stayed still, hovering in that hazy place between sleep and reality, a small voice pricking the back of his subconscious. Gradually, the voice got louder, more insistent. _"Andrew," _it called. He vaguely recognized the voice, but he was just so tired…

_"Andrew!"_

The time his head lolled a little. That tiny movement alone made him dizzy and he groaned. "Five more minutes," he slurred sleepily. "Go 'way…"

_"Andrew! Come on, focus!"_

Quite suddenly the last two days clicked into place and Andrew's eyes shot open, only to clamp shut again when the office lights left starbursts across his vision and needles of pain in his temples. It took him a few more beats to realize that the voice was coming from inside his own head and not someone else in the room. "Ow," he managed weakly. Then he remembered who he was talking to and ventured a hesitant, "…Willow?"

_"Finally! I was starting to wonder if you could hear me."_

"My head hurts," he said by way of explanation. "She hit me really hard." Something occurred to him and he groaned. "I have a concussion. You're a hallucination! I'm-I'm hallucinating a Willow voice talking inside my head!"

There was a heavy sigh that sounded just like the real Willow. _"We don't have time for this! You're not hallucinating. You need to pay attention or we won't be able to save you. OK?"_  
It was only then that Andrew realized the whole thing wasn't a product of his admittedly unstable mind. Because what he'd told Brandi was true; he hadn't really expected them to come for him. The young man cracked his eyes open just a little and tried to focus. "OK. I'm-I'm listening. But this brain-voice thing is seriously hinky."

"_Tell me about it," _the Willow-voice agreed wryly. _"Alright, here's Buffy's plan…"_

By the time the witch finished explaining, Andrew wished he'd just ignored her voice and stayed in his safely concussed sleep.

* * *

Dawn couldn't help it; she whined, just a little. "Do I have to?"

Faith patted her on the shoulder. "C'mon, book girl. You've never snuck in through your bedroom window before?" The dark-haired Slayer started up the office building's fire escape ladder.

Next to Dawn, Willow heaved a heavy sigh and checked one more time to make sure the laces of her tennis shoes were securely tied. "Just like gym class, right?"

Dawn bit the bullet and started up the ladder after Faith. She was starting to wish she'd taken Buffy up on the offer to stay back at the hotel with Rona's mom. "You had to climb twenty five stories of fire escape in your gym class?"

Vi's voice came from below them. "Hey, you're the one who lost the coin flip. We could be killing vampires right now."

Suddenly, the Summers girl felt better. "I kind of miss gym class," she admitted.

Silence descended as the four-woman rescue team saved their breath for climbing.

* * *

Xander watched them until they were around four stories up. "Looks like they're going at about a story a minute."

"Not much time," Robin noted uneasily.

"Then let's move," Buffy decided. Her hand strayed to the stake holstered to her thigh as she looked around at her remaining friends. For a moment she wished she'd brought the Scythe, but she and Giles had made an executive decision to keep the weapon out of normal combat until they had time to figure out if Willow's spell had done something to it. "Alright; stay close, keep quiet. We have no idea what kind of numbers we're facing-"

"We know, Buff," Xander interrupted with a slightly apologetic expression.

Giles nodded in agreement. "Perhaps we should get on with it?"

"Right," she agreed reluctantly. _You're not on your own, Buff. Let them help. _She squared her shoulders. "Xander, up front with me. Robin, you next, watch our sides. Rona, Giles, keep those crossbows ready. If something comes at us, you guys shoot first."

She only gave them a moment to get into position and then they swept up the front stairs of the office building. Buffy held up a hand to stop the others, listening intently at the painted-over glass door. After a moment she held up five fingers, then two more.

_Seven, _she thought. _I can take seven. _A little voice corrected her, _We, mighty one. It's we now, remember? We can totally take seven. _She gave Xander a wink. She hadn't slayed in way too long. "On three."

"One," he whispered.

"Two…" Buffy took one last look at her strike force and murmured, "Three."

Without another word, they walked into the office lobby at the exact same time that three more vampires joined their friends.

_Ten, _Buffy thought. _We can probably take ten._

Then Rona dusted one and the vampires charged and Buffy was too busy fighting to think any more.

The first one to reach her was a tall, greasy-haired creep who swung right into a powerhouse left hook. It only took half a thought to duck, stand, punch and stake. Buffy was momentarily surprised when her stake cracked his chest bone before she realized that she'd gotten so used to fighting uber-vamps that she was actually overcompensating. These run of the mill vamps barely even got her heart pumping.

Rona spun past in her peripheral vision and Buffy glanced over in time to see the black Slayer stake two vamps with one plunge of a crossbow bolt.

After fighting a hoard of crazy-strong ultimate specimens of the undead, these lackeys were kind of pathetic. A footstep sounded behind Buffy and she spun just in time to sake a female vampire advancing on her with an axe. The Slayer caught the vampire's weapon and spun again, cleanly decapitating another one in one smooth motion. "And here I was excepting a workout," she told the dust in mock disappointment.

A loud crack sounded behind her and she pivoted again and watched Robin stake a vampire with the leg off of a broken coffee table.

Two of the remaining vamps got the bright idea to run out the front door. Xander saw them coming, shrugged, and stepped out of their way as they rushed outside. The young man casually adjusted his eye patch as they both disintegrated in the late afternoon sunlight.

Buffy took a quick mental count and came up one vampire short. Where was—

"Buffy!"

Giles' shout alerted her to the last undead occupant of the room. This one was smarter than the others; he'd used the distraction of his idiot friends to make a break for the door to the staircase at the other end of the lobby behind the reception desk. Buffy threw the axe and allowed herself a moment of satisfaction when its wooden handle staked the retreating vampire from the back.

The dust settled and the blonde Slayer looked around to assess the damage. For the first time in her recent memory, there really wasn't any. Robin had a tear in his shirt above his left shoulder and Rona had a small bruise on her cheek. Giles and Xander, who hadn't even had to fight, weren't even slightly ruffled.

Xander walked over to Buffy, looking a little bemused. "OK, is it just me or was that pathetically easy?"

Giles joined them, automatically taking Buffy's hand in his to check for splinters from the axe handle. "As I'm not bleeding or unconscious, I rather think you're right." He let Buffy's hand go, ignoring the eye roll he received from her in response to his mother-henning. "Where to, then?"

Rona walked over and partially opened the door to the staircase. She peeked inside and then closed it again. "These go all the way up," she informed the others.

"Good," Buffy decided. "We'll stick to the stairs"

Xander cleared his throat. "Hey, Buffy?" She looked at him and he pointed to a single elevator on the right-hand lobby wall. "That goes all the way up too, without all the running and sweating."

No sooner had he spoken than a small _ding _sounded and the numbers above the doors lit up. Twenty-six flashed, then twenty-five, then twenty-four…

"It goes all the way down, too," Robin noted. Rona was already through the door and starting up the staircase. Robin and Xander hurried to join her. As Giles walked in before her, Buffy made a snap decision and stopped at the foot of the stairs.

Her Watcher noticed and turned to look at her from several stairs up. "Buffy?"

Her eyes met his. "If it's Brandi, I think it's about time we had a little chat."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off with a firm, "Go get Andrew. I'll meet you either upstairs or outside."

The others were already a floor above them and Giles knew there was no time to argue. He gave her one look that quite clearly said, "If you do something stupid I will be extremely upset with you," and then took off up the stairs.

Buffy watched after him and then turned to survey the wrecked lobby through the skinny window in the door, feeling oddly comforted by the entire exchange. Her Spidey- sense was telling her that Brandi was on that elevator. With the patience of an experienced hunter, one ear tuned to the staircase behind her, Buffy waited for her enemy to appear.

* * *

Giles was on the sixteenth floor, still behind the others, when a bright flash of green light caught his attention. The Watcher skidded to a halt, breathing heavily. He edged closer to the door leading out into the hallway and looked through the small window. The green light pulsed again, coming from an open door at the end of the hallway on the left side. The place practically reeked of magick.

Not just magick. _Familiar_ magick.

Giles took one look up the stairs and one look down them. Then he whispered a vehement curse in Sumerian and slipped through the door.

* * *

Faith was already examining one of the black-painted windows on the twenty-sixth floor by the time Willow and Dawn managed to pull themselves up onto the fire escape landing, panting from the exertion of the fast climb. Seconds later Vi joined them, the redheaded Slayer not even sweating.

Faith motioned Vi over to her, talking in a low voice. "Listen up! This is the plan: I'll break the window in, then we give the sunlight a sec to dust any vamps dumb enough to be close. Vi, you go in first, take out any we missed. Dawn, Red, you two stick close and go in _when _I tell you to. You get Andrew and stay out of the way. No mojo unless you're gonna die without it. Capiche?"

The dark-haired Slayer waited for their nods before positioning herself, her elbow placed against the windowpane. "On three," she announced, wiggling her eyebrows. "One. Two." She brought her elbow back and cracked the window with one sharp blow. On the second hit, the glass shattered inwards. Faith rolled out of the way of the dying sunlight.

They were lucky; one of the three vamps in the room turned to dust as the light hit him. Vi swung herself into the room and Faith followed, her eyes instantly adjusting to the gloom of the grungy office. "Move!" she shouted over her shoulder. She grabbed a stake from her jacket pocket and went to help Vi, who'd already staked one vamp and gotten backed into a corner by the second one.

Willow slipped in through the window. Dawn took a little longer, her lanky frame having problems in the small space. Finally they both edged towards the figure slumped in the chair behind the desk.

On the other side of the room, Faith grappled with the vampire until his back faced Vi, who easily staked him from behind. The senior Slayer gestured for Vi to guard the door while Faith went over to Willow and Dawn, who were crowding the unconscious body still tied to the office chair.

Willow sidestepped to kneel behind the chair and Faith saw Andrew for the first time. "Crap!" she exclaimed involuntarily.

The young man's eyes cracked open a little, looking way too shiny against the dark bruises marring his face. His lip was split in two different places and there was a small line of dried blood on his jaw. When he finally managed so speak, it was with that sleepy, lazy slur of someone with a concussion. The words were rough, spoken through a dry throat. "Thanks for the r-rescue."

Dawn reached out and carefully felt along the back of his head for bumps like Giles had taught her. The teen's eyes shone dangerously as she surveyed his wounds. "Does it hurt?"

Andrew raised his head a little, trying to straighten in the chair. "Piece of cake," he insisted, fighting to keep his eyes from shutting. The whimper he gave as Willow finally cut the ropes binding him contradicted his words. He winced at the feeling of blood rushing back into his numb extremities.

Faith winced sympathetically. "Hey, go easy. She did a number on you."

Andrew slumped again, rubbing at his raw, rope-burned wrists. "I didn't tell her anything," he rasped, his still-unfocused eyes watching Faith beseechingly.

"We know, Andrew," Willow assured him with an attempt at a smile.

"You were totally brave," Dawn agreed with an eager nod.

Faith turned away, muttering a few choice words under her breath that Dawn mentally filed away for later.

Dull shouts and bangs echoed through the door and Faith cursed a little louder this time, going over to Vi and pressing her ear against the wall. "We got more coming," she announced, turning to Willow. "Time to move!"

The witch gave their battered friend a worried look. "He has a concussion. I don't know if-"

"Incoming!" Vi shouted. The door broke open as someone threw a vampire through it from the other side.

Rona appeared in the doorway, Robin's taller frame right behind her. "Anybody home?"

Xander caught up and shoved past them into the room. "Not to rush things, but there are at least five of them behind—sweet Jahosaphat, what did she _do _to you?"

"Xander!" Willow and Dawn protested in a single, "be more sensitive!" voice.

"Sorry," he amended immediately. "Looking good, Andrew."

Andrew tried to reply even as his head listed sideways and his eyelids fluttered weakly. Willow bit her bottom lip in concern. "For the record, moving him is a bad idea."

"Agreed," Robin sighed. He went over and carefully pulled Andrew out of the chair anyway. Dawn slipped her shoulder under Andrew's right arm to help Robin with the weight. After a bit of precarious swaying, the three of them managed to balance themselves.

Andrew's eyes cracked open again. "Wh's ha-ning?" he muttered blearily.

"We're rescuing you," Dawn told him. "Try to keep talking, OK? You hurt your head."

"'K," he agreed easily. His eyes promptly drifted shut again.

Vi staked a vampire trying to get in the door. "Didn't we have a plan to get out of here?"

"We can't take him down the fire escape," Willow observed with an uneasy glance at the broken window. "We'll have to get him through the building."

"Great," Robin muttered.

As they started towards the door, Faith suddenly looked around. "Wait a sec; where's Buffy?"

Willow gently nudged Robin out of the way and took his place holding Andrew's other side up. "Better question: where's _Giles? _Wasn't he right behind us?"

* * *

Buffy tensed as the elevator came to a stop. This was it. The doors slid open achingly slowly and a single, slim blonde girl stepped out. Brandi. _Bring it on._

The Slayer knew she was probably walking into a trap. As long as the others got out, she didn't care. Buffy took one last breath, sheathed her stake and walked into the lobby.

Brandi didn't look surprised. For a long beat the two of them stood there staring at each other, neither of them aware of how similar they looked at the moment. Then Brandi took a casual step forward and a twisted smile played across her face. "Buffy Summers," she greeted, and her Southern drawl reminded Buffy of Eve so much it made her queasy.

"Evil Tacky Girl," Buffy responded in kind, shortening the distance between them.

"I figured you'd show up sometime," the other blonde commented.

_One_, Buffy thought. _I can take one. _"Sure you did," the Slayer agreed amiably. Then she gave in to her impulses and punched Brandi soundly across the jaw.

* * *

Giles was growing increasingly uneasy. Not only was this entire floor vacant, but he had the distinct impression that it had been abandoned deliberately. Brandi obviously wanted them—or, more likely, wanted _Buffy_—to find whatever was admitting that green light. There was no way to determine what the object in question actually was without going right into the room.

Giles paused just beside the door in question. The British man took a moment to steady himself, pulled out a stake just in case and stepped into the doorway. The only thing in the abandoned conference room was a large table. The only thing on the table was a small green sphere about the size of an orange. It would have less obvious that this was a setup if Brandi had left a large poster with the words "Come on in!" written on it in big neon letters.

There was nothing for it. He'd have to go in and take a look.

"Bugger," he muttered. Buffy was going to kill him for this if he ended up an unconscious hostage yet again. More likely he'd end up dead, but then at least Buffy killing him would be a bit of a moot point. Giles steeled himself and walked in before he could talk himself out of it.

The orb flared with green light the instant he crossed the threshold and Giles felt a split second of genuine panic at how exposed he was. Then the light faded, leaving a slightly blinded but otherwise unharmed Watcher in its wake. Giles stepped forward cautiously, mentally reviewing possible reasons for the green light even as he stretched out a finger to not quite touch the orb.

The small, smooth sphere seemed familiar. An elusive memory niggled at the back of his mind. He knew this thing from somewhere…. Unless he was very much mistaken, somewhere he'd been with—

"Hello, Ripper."

Giles wasn't as surprised as he should have been when he turned around to see Ethan Rayne standing between him and the door in the same clothes Giles had watched the man die in. He nearly staked his old nemesis out of reflex anyway.

The sorcerer looked down at the stake hovering just above his heart and managed a weak smile. "Miss me?"

* * *

Brandi stumbled and spun, but she didn't fall. Buffy had to give the girl credit; she had some balance. The Slayer smiled brightly at her. "So is this the part where you tell me that I walked right into your little trap and I'm powerless to defeat you?"

The other blonde opened her mouth to respond, but her expression changed from cold hate to fiendish glee mid-motion. She cocked her head like she was listening to something above her. "One of your groupies just found my little present, Buffy. They should be dead by now. Don't you think you should go see who it was?"

Buffy stared at her. "You're bluffing!" She knew it was a lie even as she said it.

"Am I?" the smug grin on Brandi's face was almost too much.

Buffy's fist tightened until she could feel her nails digging into her palm. "This isn't over," she promised.

"Not for you, at least," Brandi said with another one of those weird, warped grins. "Your friends might not be so lucky. Oh! Maybe it's your little sister who triggered my 'little trap.'" She was taking glee in watching the color drain out of Buffy's face. "But hey, an eye for an eye, right? Or more like a sibling for a sibling."

The Slayer advanced on her menacingly and Brandi held out a hand to stop her. "You kill me and everyone on the entire floor dies. You have twenty-six floors to search and ten minutes to do it in before this whole building explodes."

Buffy hit her again, doubling her over with a hard punch to her stomach. "Anyone ever tell you that you sound like a crappy James Bond movie?" Then she took off up the stairs, ignoring the sound of Brandi's gasping laughter echoing around her.

* * *

Robin and Faith took point down the hallway, with Rona and Xander at the back to make sure Andrew and his two human crutches were protected from all sides. Vi followed behind them by several feet, protecting their retreat. They'd quickly taken care of the vampires who'd followed Xander up the stairs.

The hard part was going to be getting back _down _twenty-six flights of stairs without getting anyone ("anyone" being the sporadically-conscious Andrew) killed in the process.

Faith kicked open the stairwell door and Robin easily dusted the vampire trying to lurk behind it. He jogged ahead and looked down the stairs. "We're clear."

Faith beckoned the others to follow and they started down. Two vampires jumped out to surprise them on the next landing. Faith staked one and grabbed his sword to behead his friend. "You get the feeling this chick is messin' with us?

"You too?" the black man confirmed, dusting his hands off on his jeans.

Faith couldn't help yanking him down for a quick kiss. The action earned twin "Aww!"s from Dawn and Willow and a manly cough from Xander. Rona was turned the other way and missed it.

They continued down the stairs again and Faith tossed a grin over her shoulder at the others. "Whaddya wanna bet there'll be three on the next one?"

There weren't three. There were five.

"I'll take that bet," Xander volunteered as the fight started all over again.

On the twentieth floor, Faith's stamina finally flagged. As she tried to stake the second to last vampire out of the group of nine that had jumped them, the dark-haired Slayer ended up on her back without a weapon. Just as the vampire's fist came back to knock her a good one, he dissolved.

Faith looked up into Buffy's hazel eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, accepting a hand up from her fellow Slayer. "Nice timing, B."

"Not bad yourself," the blonde returned. "We have six minutes to get out of here. I cleared out most of the welcoming party below you."

At that announcement, Xander gently took Andrew from Dawn and Willow and picked the young man up easily. "Let's move."

Buffy looked around urgently. "Where's Giles?"

Willow groaned. "We thought he was with you!"

Her best friend glared darkly. "I'm going to kill him." _If Brandi didn't already. She seemed pretty sure. _She spared a smile for Dawn and then looked to Faith again. "I'll find him and meet you outside. Get as far away as you can."

Dawn hated the idea of leaving her sister behind. "But-"

"C'mon, Dawn," Xander stopped her, already hurrying towards the stairs with Andrew in his arms. Faith waited behind, threw Buffy her sword and ran after the others.

The Slayer waited until she was the last one on the landing before closing her eyes and concentrating. "Alright, Watcher-mine," she murmured. "Where are you this time?"

* * *

Giles stared at Ethan a moment longer before returning his hand and the stake in it to his side. "You're dead," he felt the need to point out.

Rayne rolled his eyes expressively. "How very observant of you."

"Then why are you _here_?" The Watcher was trying desperately to act annoyed and put upon to avoid letting the crushing sorrow and regret building inside him to show. "I rather expected never to see you again."

His old companion's face clouded over, his eyes looking, to pardon the pun, haunted. "I'm only on loan, I'm afraid." He seemed almost apologetic when he explained, "I'm here to deliver a message. She told me to only give it to your Slayer."

"I thought as much," Giles agreed.

Ethan shook his head in disgust. "You had to play the bloody hero, didn't you? You could have gotten yourself killed."

Giles brushed him off with an impatient wave of his hand. "As much as I appreciate your sudden unprecedented concern for my health, could we just get on with it?"

Ethan tried to stare him down, but it had never worked back when they were young and Ripper wasn't budging any more now. With a heavy sigh, the sorcerer took a step closer to his friend. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He reached out a single finger and flicked Giles on the middle of the forehead. His finger passed right through the other man's head and Giles' eyes suddenly rolled back into his skull.

_Blood washes across his vision as a crimson swirl of energy crackles into existence above the desert floor. Darkness pours out of the gaping dimensional hole in waves of mist that obscure the stars and make the air heavy. Red lightening shoots across the smoky sky in angry bolts that kill indiscriminately._

_In the middle of the vortex, figure after indistinct figure appears and floats to the ground. None of them should be here. Mostly because every single one of them is dead._

_The last figure is more solid than the rest, and Giles realizes that this man is the real reason this portal has been created. _

_Acid rain falls down like tears and turns the red dust to brown mud. Then the portal collapses in a brilliant starburst of red and orange and black and for the first time Giles looks down and sees the bodies on the ground below him._

_Before he has time to look closer, the world blinks out and the vision fades._

Rayne watched with genuine shock as Giles stumbled back into the table. He knew that the reaction shouldn't have been this intense. He waited for the other man to collect himself and rubbed at the back of his neck. Ethan was immeasurably glad that he could only feel the bullet wound that had killed him and not actually see it.

Giles' eyes suddenly snapped open and Rayne realized that things had not gone at all according to Brandi's plan. He was rather glad.

Ripper shook his head a few times, trying to clear it. "She's insane," he whispered with utter conviction.

"That's what I said, too," Ethan concurred. "What did you see?"

That earned him a confused look. "Didn't you just give it to me?"

Rayne shook his head, a slow smile stretching his lips. "I was only supposed to give you a bloody speech. 'You are in my grasp, fear my wrath', that type of thing." He rubbed his neck again.

Giles didn't miss the gesture and his green eyes narrowed. Ethan shot him a pleading look and he reluctantly let it pass. Instead he asked, "Can she be stopped?"

Rayne looked him in the eye for a long time and tried to sound perfectly matter-of-fact and not at all sentimental when he said, "Someone just handed you her plan on a silver platter. Apparently _they _think so." He softened at Giles' glare. "I haven't the faintest idea. But if anyone can…" He let Giles finish that however he liked and returned the soft smile he gained for his efforts. A spasm of pain racked his features and his fingers clamped compulsively around the back of his neck. "My time is out, Ripper. I've done my part."

Giles looked at him sharply. "But…" the rest was left unsaid. _Where are you going?_

Ethan just shook his head at him, refusing to answer. "Don't touch the orb when I'm gone. It'll blow the whole bloody place to smithereens the second you lay a finger on it." He made sure Giles understood before breathing out a long, long sigh. His form wavered and shifted until it was nearly transparent. "You have two minutes from the time I leave to make a break for it," he said in the calmest voice he could manage. "I'd start now, if I were you."

Giles took one last look at him. "Ethan…"

"_Run_, you bloody stupid-" his voice promptly cut out.

Giles ran.

He collided head-on with Buffy in the hallway. She helped him up. "What do you think you're doing, going off on your own like that?"

He grabbed her arm and yanked her towards the stairs. "I'll explain later! We have a minute to get out of here before-"

"Before the entire place goes up in flames, I know." Buffy stopped him and yanked him in the other direction. "No time for the stairs!"

Giles saw the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the hall and shouted, "You can't be serious!"

His Slayer moved in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Shut up and hold on!"

* * *

Xander put Andrew down on a bench across the street from Brandi's building. The rest of the group caught up with him, panting heavily. Rona eased Andrew's legs over and sat beside him. "I hate vampires," she groaned.

The rest of them stared at the building as the silent seconds stretched into tense minutes. "C'mon, Buff," Xander whispered.

Quite suddenly, the highest level of the building exploded outwards in a giant fireball. They all watched in silence as level by level, Brandi's surprise lit up the night like a demented over-sized firecracker.

Robin grabbed Faith in his arms to keep her from rushing right back into the building. "No!"

At the same time Vi pointed up at the building and screamed, "There!"

They all looked up as a window two levels below the one currently exploding burst open. Two figures sailed through it and out into sixteen stories of air.

"They're falling!" Dawn screamed.

Willow pointed a finger at them. "_Minutum Volo_!"

A white ball of magick formed in her palm and shot towards the falling pair, who were wrapped around each other so they looked like one object from where the others were standing. Willow's spell hit them and cocooned them in a ball of white light that faded as quickly as it had appeared.

Their descent instantly slowed. Even with the decreased velocity, they could all hear the _thud_ when Slayer and Watcher hit the ground.

* * *

For a long moment Giles was too dazed to move. Then his head cleared and he realized that contrary to all probability, he was _not _dead after jumping out of a sixteenth-story window. _Thank you, Willow. _

He was, however, lying on top of Buffy, who had somehow managed to twist them in midair so she landed first. The Watcher rolled off of her, trying to gasp in air. Their impact with the ground had knocked the wind out of him. As soon as he could move without getting dizzy, Giles rolled over to kneel beside his Slayer and shake her lightly. "Buffy?" Her eyes refused to open. He felt a moment of blind panic. If her head had hit the ground first—but no, she was breathing. Thank heaven, she was _breathing..._

"Giles?" He looked up in surprise at the helpless whisper to find the others running towards him. Dawn stood there, staring down at her unmoving sister, and Giles realized that this looked just like Glory's tower all over again and he felt sick.

"She's alive, Dawn," he assured her softly. He managed a smile even as he checked the back of Buffy's head gently for blood. She had a large bruise, but nothing more. Her pulse was steady.

The sixth floor exploded above them and he bent to protect his Slayer's prone form with his, shielding her from debris. Xander pulled Dawn back a few steps and placed himself between her and the heat of the explosion. "We need to get out of here!"

Giles roused himself. "I couldn't agree more!" With no hesitation, he scooped up Buffy's still unconscious form and hurried across the street with her. Dawn jogged beside him, holding one of her sister's hands.

Xander and Willow reached down to help Andrew to his feet. The young man was starting to shake off the effects of his head injury. He had enough presence of mind to see Buffy cradled in Giles' arms and ask, "Is she…"

"She's fine," Vi said firmly. "Let's get out of here."

They did. With Andrew hobbling along between Xander and Willow and Buffy still securely in her Watcher's grasp, the nine rescuers and the recovered hostage walked the two blocks to where they'd left the Jeep and the van.

As Giles gently eased Buffy into the van's back seat and let Dawn slip in beside her, he breathed out a relieved sigh and finally let himself look back at the decimated remains of the office building. "Will she be OK?" The younger Summers asked anxiously, gently brushing a lock of blond hair out of her sister's eyes.

"She'll be fine, Dawnie," Xander promised her as he passed the van and gently cajoled Andrew towards the Jeep. "She's probably just sleeping now."

Willow came to stand next to Giles and he pulled her into a one-armed hug, silently thanking her and resting his cheek on her crown for a moment before pulling away. She let him choose which seat he wanted in the van and sat next to him. "Where were you?"

Giles looked down at her and gave a small, small smile. "Visiting with an old friend," he replied simply.

Before she could ask what he meant, he held up a tired hand to stop her. "I'll explain everything when we get back," he promised. "I have im-important…" he trailed off with a huge yawn.

"When we get back," Willow reminded him. She nudged him gently and watched as he leaned against the window and fell right to sleep.

The witch looked at Faith in the passenger's seat and grinned. "This stuff sure is easier with the gang, isn't it?"

Robin started the car and followed the Jeep.

Faith looked around at her safe friends and nodded slowly. "You know what? It totally is."

* * *

**Author's Note: There you go. This chapter is the start of weekly posts. I will be done with this story by February! I hope you enjoyed this installment; it was a favorite of mine to write. Though I have to say that getting ten main characters, a dead guy and a villian through three seperate arcs, a rescue and multiple battles is a lot more work than most people would think.**

**Rob Thomas own the lyrics, which come from his song "Ever the Same". I'm going to hold to my tradition of not explaining exactly why I chose the lyrics that I do, but I hope that most of you caught why these particular ones apply. They really do fit the chapter; if you aren't sure how, I'd suggest thinking about it for a bit and I'm sure you'll get it.**

**Many, many thanks to all my friends, who put up with me unintentionally ignoring them while I finished this. As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments and criticisms, especially as we near the end. Tell me what you thought! Cheers!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"_The battle's just begun._  
_There's many lost,_  
_But tell me: who has won?_  
_The trench is dug within our hearts…"_

_

* * *

_

"…So what was it? A premonition? A vision?"

"Wait a minute; I thought you had to be a Seer or something to get those."

"You do! Unless the Coven managed to do something before they got…"

"What if this is just Ethan messing with our heads? Sorry-_your_ head, Giles."

"What if it's _Brandi_ messing with our heads?"

Dawn closed her eyes and leaned back in the plastic deck chair by the hotel pool, tuning out the rapid-fire conversation going on around her. She'd begged and pleaded to be part of the Scooby meeting and Buffy had finally relented. Dawn could still see that look in her sister's eyes when Buffy had put a hand on her shoulder and given her a watery smile. "I just don't want you growing up too fast, OK?"

"I think it might be too late for that," the teen had replied with a pang of sadness at realizing that it was true and nothing either of them could do could ever change that.

Buffy had looked at her for a long time, and then she'd hugged Dawn tight and nodded. "Fair enough. But no patrolling by yourself, absolutely no demon or vampire boyfriends and no swearing until you're eighteen. Agreed?"

The younger Summers girl pretended to consider her sister's offer for a moment before solemnly nodding. "Agreed." Then they'd both broken down into a fit of giggles and gone to meet the others at the pool.

Dawn was starting to wish that they'd all go back to treating her like a kid again and stop talking about stuff around her, because they'd been trying to figure out this vision thing that Giles had gotten for at least fifteen minutes and all the circular conversations were starting to make her head hurt.

She cracked an eye open and turned her head to look over her sunglasses at Andrew dozing on the chair next to her. His face was still bruised but the worst of the yucky dark colors had started to fade into green and yellow marks that still looked gross, but not as scary. Giles had told them all that Andrew's concussion wasn't as bad as it had seemed when they'd rescued him, though moving him down twenty-six flights of stairs and subjecting him to a two-hour jeep ride probably hadn't done him a whole lot of good. But Mrs. Hullen had whipped up some weird muddy-looking drink and given it to Andrew. When questioned about its contents, the only thing she'd say was, "My mama's own special remedy; this here glass holds the best headache cure on either side of the Mississippi." Dawn still had no idea what was in it, but apparently it worked because after two glasses of the concoction and a good thirteen hours of actual sleep, Andrew was getting back to his talkative, obnoxious self.

Mostly, anyway. Dawn had a feeling that even Andrew needed time to recuperate from getting held hostage, beat up, and knocked out more times than they really wanted to know about. He hadn't talked about any of it yet, except for a few spare bits of information Brandi had apparently given out while punching him that they weren't sure were going to be helpful yet. Dawn wondered if he'd ever talk about it, and decided she didn't want to be the one to ask him to.

Their group was the only one near the pool; most of the other hotel guests were at some convention down the street. Faith and Principal Wood (Or was he an ex-principal now?) hadn't made an appearance yet. Dawn was trying really hard not to think about why.

The younger Summers tuned back into the conversation as Giles' strained voice spoke for the first time. He'd been unusually quiet for the last day too, but Dawn wasn't sure she wanted to hear that story either; she knew they'd gotten the abridged version of his meeting with Ethan. Now he leaned forward, green eyes focused on Xander and Willow across from him instead of on Rona and Vi, who were frolicking at the other end of the pool. "I have no idea what exactly it was, but I have no doubt it was real and I suspect that we have very little time to do something about it." His tone was sharper than usual and they all looked at him sheepishly.

Buffy, who was sitting at the side of the pool next to Giles' chair, splashed her feet in the warm water a little as she nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. But what are we supposed to do?"

Her Watcher sighed heavily and ran a hand down his tired face. Dawn wondered when exactly she'd stopped thinking of him as old and why he looked like he was eighty all of a sudden. She wondered if the rest of them would look like that when they were Giles' age.

…Come to think of it, Dawn wondered if any of them would even _live_ to be Giles' age.

Giles had finally managed to collect himself and prepared to answer Buffy's question. Dawn knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"The only thing we can do," the Watcher said with something close to resignation edging his voice. "We stop the bloody world from ending and get on with our lives."

There was a moment of silence. Then Xander relaxed and leaned back in his chair. "We'll need snacks."

"Moon Pies?" Willow offered with an innocent expression.

Dawn had no idea why the other three burst out laughing, but it was nice to see and she decided that happiness was something else she didn't want to question today.

* * *

Things very rarely went exactly according to plan. Brandi knew this, and if her hate-crazed brain had been up to admitting it, she might have realized that more time, more organizing, more _sleep_ would solve a lot of the problems she seemed to be having with the Slayer and her merry band of screw-ups. Few human beings could claim the experience of being twisted and distorted by grief before they turned twenty. Most of them, it seemed, were involved in this fight one way or the other.

Brandi wasn't self-aware enough to realize there was anything wrong with her at all. The only thing that registered with her was that her brother was dead, the world was a dark and bitter place and that the only way she could stop it was to bring Laurence back so the two of them could kill everything together.

As plans went, she figured that was a pretty good one.

She was surprisingly content as she wandered down a hallway of her complex, her fingers trailing along the metal of the walls. All in all, the most recent phase of her plan had gone extremely well. She'd given the Slayer a serious jolt, injured a couple of her friends and gotten her message delivered. Brandi's brow creased as she wondered again why she'd been unable to call up Rayne's spirit to get a progress report, but the dead sorcerer's disappearance didn't overly worry her. It was just a glitch, that was all. Those pathetic Coven girls probably didn't have the kind of magick it took to sustain a possessing spell like the one Brandi had forced them to do. Maybe an orb powered by human sorrow and death was _supposed_ to break down after it got used once.

Or maybe they'd expended too much energy on their first project and the orb designed to hold Ethan's spirit hadn't gotten as much attention as it should have.

"Should've asked for a warranty." She grinned at the empty hallway like it was supposed to laugh at her joke, but nothing happened and she frowned. The hollow echoes of her own voice reminded her of the way that dirty office had reverberated after Andrew had finished his little speech.

That memory made her uneasy and she shoved it ruthlessly from her mind. It was a good thing his "friends" had come and gotten him. His lectures had started to seriously grate on her nerves.

_At least he had friends to come and save him. Who's going to come and save you?_

Brandi hated that little voice that popped up inside her head sometimes. It made her feel crazy. "Laurence will," she told it anyway. Her voice felt flat in the corridor and she hurried her pace to get away from it. "Laurence'll save me!" she insisted vehemently to herself.

She reached a small metal door at the end of the hall and stood looking at it for a second. _Laurence is dead_, the little voice reminded her in an unusual show of persistence.

Brandi cursed it and shoved open the door. The only surface in the empty room was a tiny metal table. On the table, a small red orb sat in a polished black stone box carved with ancient ruins made of harsh lines and vicious points. With a grin that she didn't realize communicated the state of her warped mind, Brandi walked over and lovingly caressed the small sphere, its tortured red light casting appropriately demonic shadows across her face.

_Laurence is dead_, the voice protested one more time. There was a helplessness about its imaginary tone that Brandi liked. "He won't be for long," she whispered to herself.

The orb flared with pain and loss and Brandi smiled. The plan was going just fine. The Slayer and her chums would never see it coming.

* * *

Xander rubbed his temples and closed the leather-bound book he'd been skimming with a decisive _thump_. "If I could actually see what I was reading I bet it'd help a ton."

Willow made a sympathetic noise, walked over and looked at the book over his shoulder. "I bet finding one in a language you can actually read will help a bunch too." She handed him a different tome and took his with a little smile. "Any luck?"

The young man flopped back on the hotel bed despondently. "Not much to go on; I can't believe I actually wish we had more books." He stared broodily up at the ceiling. Willow sensed his mood, closed her laptop and went over to sit by him. She just let him stew, laying a comforting hand on his arm as he thought.

After a long time he sighed and threw an arm over his face to block out the light. "I hate being useless," he mumbled with an utter sincerity that made Willow's heart break.

"You're not! You're Mr. Helpful guy, with the…the hammering and the dry-walling and the…" she caught his look and trailed off sheepishly, "…and you meant with the Slayey stuff, 'cuz, yeah, the eye thing kinda makes that hard."

"Yeah," Xander agreed with another long sigh. "Just feel like I'm letting you guys down, you know?"

"Hey," his best friend reprimanded him with a mock glare. "No pity party, Mr. I-saved-the-world."

He smiled a little and reached up to touch a strand of her red hair. "All the same to you, Will, I'd rather not do that again. I just got over flinching every time I saw a box of black hair dye."

She stuck her tongue out at him before sobering again. "Just…just don't be so hard on yourself, OK? Giles said you did really well with the fighting when you guys were in Mississippi, and you dusted a bunch keeping Andrew safe and…" she shrugged a little, running out of encouragement. "You do a really good Snoopy dance."

Xander grinned and sat up again. "Not sure that registers on the planet-saving scale, but thanks."

"What happened to rescuing Christmas spirit for the lonely Jewish girl?" Willow asked with mock offense. He rolled his eye expressively and she smiled at him, giving him a quick hug. "You're my best friend in the whole world and I love you and you're just perfect the way you are. I mean, having two eyes is kind of redundant anyway, right?"

Xander was feeling better despite himself. "Thanks, Will," he said with a mock pout. "Make fun of the guy with no depth perception."

The witch smiled brightly at him and handed him another book. "Get back to work, carpenter guy."

He grumbled good-naturedly before opening the book up to a random page, resigned to more hours of struggling to focus on tiny text and boring descriptions and…oh. A really vivid, super-detailed ink drawing of a gigantic red portal-looking thing with a bunch of skeletons dancing around it. _Why can't everything be that easy_? "Will?"

She looked up from her laptop again and he turned the book to show her the picture. "I think I found it."

Willow beamed at him. "See? You just put the telescope to your wrong eye!" He stared at her blankly and she floundered, "This guy named Nelson fought against Napoleon and he only had one eye and they had this big battle where he-"

"History lesson later, Will!" Xander interrupted. "How about we go tell the others?"

"Right," she agreed. They stood and headed towards the door. "What's it called?"

Xander squinted at the caption below the picture. "Ha…Hal…Halal bes-something**_."_**

Willow stilled halfway out into the hall. "The Right of _Halál Beszél_?"

"Sure," he acquiesced with a shrug. "What is that, Romanian? What's it mean?"

"Hungarian," she corrected. "And it's very, very bad."

* * *

Giles looked at the picture and groaned. "_Halál Beszél_! Of course, I should have known."

Willow nodded in agreement. "Not that it's that common or anything."

"For good reason, one would think," the Watcher muttered.

Buffy looked between them. "Someone want to translate?"

"It's Hungarian," Giles started in. "Loosely translated, it means, 'Death Speaks'."

Dawn's forehead crinkled in confusion. "What, like a séance?"

Willow shook her head. "More like the dead actually show up and talk to people. Kind of like what the First did, only this brings forth the real people and they come through this big portal that disrupts the universe."

"What do you mean 'disrupts'?" Xander asked warily.

"Doom, destruction, the imbalance of all magickal energy in this plane," Giles confirmed. He picked up the book and slipped his glasses on, skimming the tight columns of text. "It's a very dangerous, complex spell. The portal can only be opened by a _Kulcsa Bánat_." They looked at him blankly. "Right, sorry. A…a 'Key of Sorrows', I think is the term."

Dawn winced. "It better not be a person."

Giles smiled sympathetically at her and shook his head, whipping off his glasses again to give his hands something to do. "No no, nothing of that sort. Though the reality may actually be worse." He looked up at Buffy and sighed. "The Key of Sorrows can only be made by funneling a very large amount of pain and death into a cursed magickal object." He caught Willow's eye next and nodded grimly at the understanding in her eyes.

"The Coven," the witch explained for the others in a tight, sad voice. "Brandi must have already had the cursed object, and then when she killed them she probably used a chant or an enchanted blade that collected all their energies and turned them into the Key."

Dawn hated that she could kind of empathize with that. "I don't get it! Why's she doing this?"

"Laurence," came Andrew's quiet voice from the corner. Xander jumped a little; he hadn't even noticed the young man was in the room until now.

Andrew stood heavily and walked towards them, looking tired in the light coming from the window behind him. "She wants to get her brother back. That's all she talked about when she was…" he made a vague gesture at his bruised face and sat heavily on the bed next to Dawn. "She's got a serious Leah complex, only her brother wouldn't be Luke." He considered this for a moment longer. "Actually he _could_ be Luke if Luke had listened to the Emperor and turned to the dark side and helped him rule the galaxy."

Giles stared at him and found it extremely disturbing that he'd actually understood every word of that pop culture reference. "That would seem to make sense, yes." He pointedly ignored the surprised looks he was getting from the others and decided not to mention that Spike had forced him to watch all three of the original Star Wars movies back when the vampire was living with him. The Watcher continued on like nothing at all was amiss. "More than likely she got the spell from Ethan," he said with a sigh. "The fool always would do anything for the right amount of money."

Buffy brought them back to the point. "So we know what it is. How do I stop it?"

"I'm not sure," Giles admitted. "It'll take more research." A look of wistful longing drifted across his eyes. "What I'd give to have my books from Bath…"

"We've got to find you a patch for that book addiction, G-man." Xander stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Why don't you just mail them over here?"

Giles gave him a look of pure, unadulterated exasperation. "Don't—never mind. I give up." The Watcher went back to studying the text around the picture of the portal. "That would require us staying in one place long enough to give the shipping company an address, I'm afraid."

Buffy put a hand on his shoulder. "Soon. I promise."

Giles looked up at her and they shared a moment that the others couldn't quite catch hold of. Then the British man cleared his throat and got back to business. "I suggest that we start a new round of research with what we have, now that we know what we're looking for."

Xander made a face. "Food first; I need sustenance."

Dawn, Willow and Andrew all perked up at the mention of food and Giles waved them away. "By all means, go eat. No use starving yourselves. I'll start in and see what I can find."

"Don't need to tell us twice!" Willow announced, helping Andrew to his feet.

After they left, Giles looked up at Buffy curiously, partly because she'd stayed and partly because her hand was still on his shoulder. "Not hungry?"

She just shook her head and sat next to him on the bed. "Let's make with the book work."

Giles had known her too long. He used a finger to mark his place and turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "What in the world are you feeling guilty about?"

Buffy shifted a little, not meeting his eyes. "Nothing! I just…" She risked looking up and relaxed at the patient, familiarly confused gaze she received. "Whenever I leave you on your own, something bad happens to you. I'm staying for your own protection." Her hazel eyes said the rest. _I'm trying, OK? Let me._

He watched her for a beat longer, and then he smiled softly in understanding and said no more about it. "Honestly, I don't expect to find much. This ritual is practically unrecorded, and everything we're going to learn will likely be in this." He gestured to the picture and its surrounding text. "We'll likely have to find a way to close it by more…unconventional means."

"We can do unconventional," Buffy reminded him.

Giles managed an ironic look at that and then stifled a giant yawn. "Sorry."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "When was the last time you slept?"

He considered this before looking sheepish. "…The car ride back from our little escapade."

Buffy made a disgusted noise and stood up, pushing him back onto the bed. "Sleep, mister. I'll pretend to research while you get some rest."

Giles tried to object, but he was feeling suddenly, horrendously tired and before he could protest his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep.

_The vortex swirls before him and it fills his entire vision._

_At first he thinks this is because it has gotten bigger, but in reality—or whatever this is—he has only gotten closer to it._

_Close enough to smell burnt oxygen and to hear the clash and clamor of a great, unseen battle going on below him. Close enough to feel the heat of magickal energy emanating from the great scarlet tear in the universe and close enough to see the single man walking through the air away from the vortex as if on a staircase. He realizes this is no man, but a vampire, and if Laurence touches one foot to the ground the entire battle is over and it won't matter any more._

_And then an achingly familiar presence settles by his side and he cannot turn to look but he hears her voice when she says, "You don't have much time, Sophus."_

_Jenny says many more things, but not in words and it's too important to interrupt and it's not until the world starts to fade away again that he tries to speak, and by then it's too late._

Giles woke to Buffy shaking him urgently. "Giles? _Giles_!"

He groaned and sat up quickly, putting a hand to his head for a moment before he realized that there was nothing at all wrong with it. "What…" he trailed off as he remembered his dream and he choked up, because Jenny had been there and she'd been so close…

"Giles!" he looked up and this time his Slayer's worry penetrated his senses.

He managed a weak, tight attempt at a smile and held up a hand to reassure her. "I'm alright, Buffy. Just a bit shaken."

"You're not the only one! You started mumbling and I couldn't wake you up." She saw the thoughtfulness of his gaze and settled on the edge of the bed, moving his legs over to give herself room. "You had another one."

"Yes," he said softly. "Though I'm not sure…" he felt unable to describe everything he had just learned. "The Coven did this. When Brandi—when she forced them to create the sphere she plans on using for the ritual, they added in their own thoughts and experiences. Because it was their deaths that powered the sphere, they were able to store a…a sort of message in it that Brandi didn't know about."

Buffy nodded her comprehension. "And they made it so that Ethan would give you their message instead of hers?"

"Essentially," Giles agreed. He was silent for too long and Buffy finally nudged his knee lightly. "So do you know how to stop it?"

"Give me a moment," he requested, still attempting to collect himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to concentrate. "There were very few words. Mostly images, feelings…"

Buffy watched, feeling helpless as he struggled to remember. Neither of them were used to Giles not having an answer. "Tell me what happened," she suggested. "Maybe something will jog your memory."

He nodded and forced himself to start from the beginning. "I was looking at the vortex again, but I was closer. And Laurence was walking away from the center of it towards the ground."

The Slayer's forehead creased. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Positive." He took a deep, shaky breath. "And there were sounds. Screaming, fighting. They were coming from below me, but I couldn't see the battle. And then…" he shook his head helplessly and stared down at the floor, avoiding Buffy's compassionate gaze with every ounce of determination he had. "Jenny was there." He heard Buffy's gasp and continued on regardless. "She said—she said I didn't have much time, and then she showed me the Coven…and I saw a blond girl in a small gray room, holding a red sphere that I can only assume was the Key."

"Was she about my height, with blue eyes and a freaky expression?" Buffy hazarded. At his nod, she sighed. "Brandi."

"I thought as much," he agreed. "She looks a bit like you, you know."

She wasn't sure she liked that comparison. "Focus, Giles."

He sighed. "Right, sorry. I…there were no more words, but I think we have to be there by tomorrow."

Buffy stared at him. "_Tomorrow_? What did they say to do?"  
Giles shook his head and finally looked up at her in frustration. "They didn't."

She jumped off the bed and started pacing. "I don't believe this! There has to be something!" She turned to pierce Giles with sincere eyes. "What did Jenny say, Giles? I mean what were her exact words?"

Giles' usually endless patience snapped. "I already told you, she said, 'You don't have much time, So-'" He cut off and his green eyes widened with realization.

"What?" Buffy asked eagerly, stepping towards him.

"She called me 'Sophus'," he whispered. A smile broke out over his face and he blinked hard to keep suppressed tears from falling. "That's it!"

His Slayer stared at him blankly. "What, is it a nickname or something?"

Giles laughed and shook his head, that giant smile still in place. "Sophus, Animus, Spiritus, Manus."

"The spell we did with Adam!" Buffy realized.

"Exactly," he agreed. He sobered and for a long time the two of them just looked at each other as they realized what exactly that meant.

"So it's down to the four of us again, huh?" she finally conceded with a sigh.

He just stood briskly and reached for a book. "Go get the others. We'll leave tonight." As she left Giles briefly wondered why they'd thought creating an entire army of Slayers would actually help in the battle against evil. At least one of the Scoobies always ended up being an absolutely pivotal key to the prevention of the apocalypse anyway.

Giles was sure that somewhere in a hopefully painful hell dimension, Quentin Travers was laughing his bloody head off watching this.

* * *

Brandi took her time preparing for the ritual; even down to the long scarlet velvet dress she'd had to kill three different demons to find. Usually she wouldn't have bothered with traditional clothing, but this spell was too important to risk messing up. Besides, she wanted to look nice for Laurence.

And scarlet had always been her color.

* * *

Weirdly enough, Giles fell asleep almost as soon as he got into the back seat of the Jeep. Willow gave him a worried glance as she buckled in up front next to Xander. "Is he alright?"

Buffy looked up from her reflection in the red blade of the Scythe, which she'd brought along just because she missed it. "He'll be OK. I think the vision things are hard on him."

Xander cast an uneasy look up at the dark hotel and started the car. "Remind me again why we're sneaking out like we're ditching curfew?"

Willow looked back at Buffy too.

The Slayer sighed. "Because they'd want to come, and we don't have time to argue."

Xander shook his head, but he put his foot to the gas and they pulled away from the hotel. "So it's left to the Scoobies again, saving the world with witty conversation and slaying speed as only we know how?"

"Exactly," Buffy agreed. "I left a note for Dawn, but by the time she gets it we should have a good head start."

Willow turned back to face the front. "She doesn't want them to deal with the apocalypsy stuff again," she informed Xander in a stage whisper.

"Totally behind you, Buff," the young man assured his friend. "But next time could you take Faith to do the battle stuff and leave the blind guy at home?"

"You're only half blind," Buffy reminded him. "I'm just trying not to think about the Dawn lecture we're going to get when we come back."

Willow gave the blond an encouraging smile. "She'll be OK, Buffy."

The Slayer nodded in agreement. "She's not the one I'm worried about." None of them noticed when the hotel disappeared over a rise behind them.

* * *

"Lord, have mercy on 'em!" Annabelle Hullen watched the car fade into the night and pressed a dark, weathered hand to the glass of the window. "You did right, Rupert," she whispered into the night. "You come back alive now, you hear?"

The wise old woman turned back to her sleeping daughter and settled down to watch her baby girl rest. "Lord, preserve our souls…"

* * *

Red light pulsed from the Key of Sorrows with echoes of screams dancing in the blood-tinged glow. In its light, Brandi threw back her head and laughed. The vampires near the door shifted uneasily, looking away from the vision before them that came straight from the depths of hell.

Finally, she opened her eyes and put both hands on the orb. The red light slowly pulsed into her fingertips and her eyes. With careful, reverent motions, Brandi picked up the Key in its carved stone container and smiled a deep, tormented, possessed smile.

"It's time to start this thing," she drawled, and her voice vibrated with screams that didn't belong to her. "Y'all ready to party?"

* * *

The sky was too black; there were no stars or moon and for some reason every time Willow closed her eyes she saw red. As the Jeep finally pulled to a stop, she reached over and gently shook the still sleeping Giles. "Giles? We're here."

The Watcher woke instantly and the four of them wordlessly left the car and gathered their weapons. For a moment they just stood there in the dark. "This portal is very dangerous," Giles warned them in a low voice. "It may cause us to…see things. If Brandi gets far enough, it may even bring forth the dead."

"Any idea on how we're supposed to stop her yet?" Buffy asked uneasily.

Her Watcher sighed heavily. "No. I'd hoped on the way here…"

Xander patted him on the back. "So no strategy, no plan and no idea what we're getting into?"

Giles considered this a moment before nodding. "That about sums it up, yes."

"So life's pretty much back to normal," Willow affirmed with a smile. They all took a moment to process that.

"Pretty much," Buffy agreed. "Let's go!"

* * *

**Author's Note: The beginning of the end. Two chapters left, folks! This chapter would have been up several days ago if this site had let me upload the chapter. (Not that I'm bitter. ...Really.) In any case, I hope you enjoyed it. The lyrics are from U2's song "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Tell me what you thought of this chapter, and get ready for the end. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 **

_"Lay it down, _

_I've always been with you. _

_Hear me now _

_With all that's within you…"

* * *

_

The night was still and black. The sky hanging over the dark desert felt heavy and oppressive. Xander shifted uneasily and resisted the urge to stand. The four of them lay belly-down on the rise behind Brandi's complex; staring out at the thick, warm night. It was too quiet. It was too still. It was too utterly boring after all the expectation of the sneaking out and the car ride. The young man felt Giles move next to him and glanced over. "Should something be happening?" he asked in a voice just over a whisper.

Before Giles had a chance to answer, the deafening crash of six metal doors slamming open at once rent the air. On Xander's other side, Buffy tensed. "Here we go," she warned.

They came. Rank by silent rank, lit only by a few scattered torches, the vampires filed into position quickly and smoothly. It took them almost fifteen minutes to get into place; Xander noticed that there were a lot of gaps in the rows, like they were leaving space for others who were supposed to be there. Even so, there were at least three hundred and fifty vampires down there. He murmured to Giles worriedly, "Not that I don't love a challenge, but three hundred and fifty to four seems like sucky odds, even to us."

"I'm thinking," the older man hissed back.

All movement below them suddenly ceased and for a moment the Scoobies up on the bluff held their breath, sure that someone down below had heard them. But then the vampires looked as one to the largest open door of the complex and the four intruders breathed out a single sigh of relief before turning their attention there as well.

For a long two minutes nothing happened.

Then, slowly, a bloody red light emanated from the door; faintly at first, but steadily growing brighter and closer until finally Brandi stepped through the door out into the night, the glowing _Kulcsa Bánat_ firmly in her grasp. Even across the significant distance between them, it was easy to see that Brandi's eyes glowed with the same hellish light as the orb. The ghosts of screams drifted on the wind.

Willow felt queasy at the sound. She wasn't sure if that was because of the dark magick or because she thought she recognized some of the voices. "Giles? Can you think any faster?" When she didn't receive an answer she glanced across Xander's back at him in concern.

The Watcher was staring down at Brandi, but Willow realized that he wasn't looking at anything the rest of them could see. His green eyes were glazed, his expression rapidly twisting into something resembling horror. Willow could practically taste the magick on the air, and a sudden rush of cool wind whipped at her hair and imbued a sense of comfort in her chest that lasted a few seconds before dying away. The sisters at the Coven weren't as dead as Brandi wanted them to be.

Giles still hadn't moved, and by now Buffy and Xander were looking at him too. "He's having another one," the Slayer whispered, confirming what Willow already knew.

A moment later Giles' expression cleared and he blinked as if waking from a dream. "_Bullocks_," he murmured with great feeling.

Buffy made an impatient noise. "Do we have a plan?"

"Yes," he said with a heavy, heavy sigh. "But you're not going to like it."

"At this point I think any plan is a good one," Xander reminded him.

Giles told them.

They didn't like it.

"I warned you," he muttered. "Ready?"

Without waiting for an answer he stood up, took a deep breath and walked right down the slope towards Brandi, ignoring the three hundred and fifty-four pairs of eyes now riveted on him. "Coming?" he called over his shoulder.

The three younger Scoobies traded a dark look. Willow and Buffy stood and helped Xander up as well. "This plan sucks," he declared with conviction. The three of them caught up with Giles about ten feet down the hill.

"At least we have one now," Willow said with forced optimism.

That didn't comfort her friend much. He gently elbowed Giles. "If we die, it's all your fault."

"Bloody typical," the British man muttered. Then the vampires grabbed them and Buffy staked one and there was no more time to talk.

* * *

Dawn woke up for apparently no reason at about three that morning. For a while she just laid still, staring up at the dark ceiling as she tried to go back to sleep. She eventually gave up on that and rolled onto her side to get more comfortable.

It was only then that the teen saw the empty bed next to her and realized that Buffy wasn't there.

It took her another minute to find the folded note on the nightstand. She flicked the lamp on and read the first few lines of her sister's handwriting aloud. "Dawn: Went to stop Brandi and all the apocalypse stuff. Giles says it has to be the four of us, so don't worry and stay were you are. I mean it, Dawn! You come after us and you're grounded for a month longer than you are already! Love, Buffy."

The younger Summers sister made a disgusted noise and shot of the room with the note still in her hand. She pounded heavily on Faith and Robin's door. "Guys!" she shouted. "Get up!"

Faith opened the door quickly, her hair mussed. "What's up?"

The others were drawn out of their rooms by the noise. Andrew burst out of his door a moment after everyone else, yelling, "Xander's gone! Brandi must have come and abducted him because she thought he was me! Or maybe-"

"They're gone!" Dawn interrupted him. Robin appeared behind Faith and Dawn thrust the note at him. Her voice was quiet and desperate as she repeated, "They're gone…"

* * *

Xander winced as two hulking vampires forced him to his knees in front of Brandi. Willow landed hard on his left and he tried to help the witch keep her balance, only to be jerked roughly backward by his guards. "Not a chance," one muttered around a split lip. Xander glared at him and tried in vain to straighten his eye patch against his shoulder.

Buffy and Giles took a little longer to subdue. It took three vampires to finally shove Giles down on Xander's other side. Buffy staked two more vamps and broke another one's nose before kneeling under her own power next to Giles. Watcher and Slayer traded quick amused looks before turning their attention to more important matters: namely, Brandi.

Their weapons were piled only a few feet away, the Scythe gleaming in the flickering torchlight. Brandi seemed fascinated by the mystical weapon. She used the hand not holding the Key of Sorrows to run a finger along its razor-sharp edge, admiring her distorted reflection in its ruby-colored sheen. Ignoring the blood now dripping from her hand, the blond surveyed her four prisoners. "Well lookey here," she drawled. "Now what're you do-gooders up to hangin' around way out here?"

A rumble of nervous laughter rippled through the ranks. Xander was sure that he could have thought of something funnier than that in his sleep. He looked over at Buffy and asked in a loud stage whisper that carried back at least six rows, "Did anyone ever tell her that she sounds like a crappy James Bond movie?"

"I did," Buffy confirmed. She turned her attention back to Brandi. "Seriously, the dress? Not your color." This time an actual laugh resulted from the surrounding undead. It was instantly silenced by Brandi's fierce scowl.

"Maybe something in dark brown and black to match the rotting heart," Willow suggested conversationally. "And that would work with the hair better too."

"_Enough!_" Brandi screamed over the poorly stifled laughs of the vampires around her. "Shut up!"

Giles couldn't resist; he got his shot in, looking over at Buffy with mock reprimand in his tone. "Now Buffy, not everyone can have your sense of decency or basic hygiene." Outright laughter broke out; some vampires farther back even dared to whistle.

Brandi was steaming. In a single motion she grabbed up the nearest weapon—which just happened to be the Scythe-and held it to Willow's throat. All noise immediately stopped. The other three Scoobies became deathly still, eyes locked on the blade nearly nicking their friend's jugular. Willow held her breath.

Brandi sneered triumphantly. "One more word and the witch gets it!" Her voice hardened with derision. "I don't have time for you. I'll kill you when I'm done."

Brandi turned away from Willow and tossed the Scythe away, ignoring the pained scream of the vampire it passed through on its way. With an expression on her face that was the most perverted form of affection Buffy had ever seen, she placed her hands on the orb and closed her eyes as crimson energy began to swirl around her.

The Slayer looked to Giles worriedly and he managed something resembling an encouraging smile.

Then hot lightening shot out of the clear sky and suddenly the world turned red. For a single second Giles let himself wonder if the Coven was wrong after all and they were sitting by watching the world end before he shoved the idea out of his mind and starting praying to any deity that felt like listening that the whole blasted plan would actually work.

* * *

Robin read the note in silence as the others gathered around him. Then he shook his head in disgust, much like Dawn had. "She really sucks at the whole team spirit thing, huh."

"What do we do?" Vi questioned with an edge of panic in her voice.

Faith answered by grinning and forming a fist, smacking it into her open palm. "We gear up and go help their sorry butts!"

"They told us not to go after them," Rona reminded her.

Robin and Faith traded a look. The black man raised an eyebrow. "Point being…?"

The young Slayer shrugged. "Just figured someone should mention it."

"Gear up!" Faith announced. "Meet at the car in ten, bring everything you can carry."

They scattered just as Mrs. Hullen came out into the hallway wrapped primly in a hotel robe over her pajamas. "You're goin' after 'em, I expect?"

Dawn nodded at her, too worried to pay much attention. The old woman placed a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "Now honey, don't you worry 'bout them. You go on and get changed. I imagine they'll have things well settled by the time you get there."

Faith snorted softly. "Yeah, right."

* * *

Willow shut her eyes tight against the intense red light, but it seared through her eyelids anyway. Thunder cracked and rumbled overhead. The witch forced one green eye open as the light receded briefly. Dull pink clouds had completely blotted out the sky above. They roiled overhead, their bellies lit by scarlet lightning.

Brandi stood with both hands on the Key of Sorrows, her head thrown back in perverted ecstasy, her mouth open in a silent scream of triumph. The cries of death from inside the orb screeched on the rising wind. When another bolt of lightning struck nearby, some of the vampires scattered.

Next to her, Xander still had his eye screwed shut. Sadly, the vampires guarding them hadn't been among those to run.

The wind picked up and whipped Willow's red hair into her eyes. The screams were growing louder. The Key gave out one more mighty pulse of light and sound. Willow could barely hear Giles' shout over the howling wind and the screams. "Now!"

* * *

_Buffy made an impatient noise. "Do we have a plan?" _

_ "Yes," Giles said with a heavy, heavy sigh. "But you're not going to like it." _

_ "At this point I think any plan is a good one," Xander reminded him._

_Giles told them._

_"We have to _what_?" Buffy hissed at Giles incredulously. _

_"The Coven said to let Brandi open the portal," the British man repeated patiently._

_Xander shook his head. "I thought that was the thing we __didn't __want her to do. End of the world, disrupted mojo? Any of this ringing a bell?"_

_Giles looked to Willow for support. The witch nodded slowly. "If the Coven is right and the spell actually started when Brandi made the Key, then trying to stop the manifestation of the portal halfway through could make things worse. It's a balance thing."_

_Xander held up a hand like he was back in high school. "So won't the world end when the portal opens anyway? I'm not seeing a win for the good guys."_

_"It won't if we can convince it to close again," Giles contradicted._

_Buffy looked between them. "Great. So how do we do that?"_

_"We don't." Giles looked her in the eye. "We ask the dead to do it for us."_

* * *

As Giles shouted Buffy surged up, whipping out a stake concealed in her jacket pocket and dusting the vampires holding her with ease. It took only moments for the rest of them to dispose of their own escorts. The four of them stood in a line and watched Brandi, who was oblivious to their escape. The Southern girl's eyes were closed, her face demonic in the scarlet light. Her painted lips moved silently, framing the words of the incantation that would create the portal.

"What do we do?" Buffy yelled to her Watcher over the wind.

He bellowed back. "We wait until the portal opens! At the end of the spell the summoner must say the name of the dead person they wish to speak to. Before she has a chance, we'll each say the name of someone we want to talk to instead. If things work out, the four of them will come out as side effects of the spell before the portal finishes manifesting and brings Laurence."

"Who are we supposed to ask for?" Willow said with an edge of panic in her voice. It was sad that they had so many options.

"Someone who will listen to you when you ask them to close the portal!" the Watcher cried. "But be careful! If the spell is strong enough others might come out alo-" before he could continue, his eyes were drawn to the _Kulcsa Bánat_. It had turned black. High above them in the clouds, a shadowy vortex that looked like a small tornado formed and began to spin, sucking lightning into itself.

Brandi's voice rose to a crescendo, finally loud enough to hear above the wind. "Hear my voice! Obey my command! Make the bridge of death and release the spirit of-"

"Jennifer Calendar!"

"Anya Jenkins!"

"Joyce Summers!"

"…Tara Maclay."

Brandi's eye's opened wide and furious a second too late as she finished, "-Laurence!"

In the blink of an eye, all five of them disappeared.

* * *

The world went quiet. Far below him, Giles could vaguely hear the sounds of vampires running and shouting, fighting each other in their panic. A strange sense of peace settled over him even though he wasn't sure exactly where he was. A gray mist surrounded him on all sides, though his feet felt like they were planted on solid ground. He stayed silent and waited.

* * *

Xander didn't even have time to register that he was floating at least sixty feet above the ground before someone threw themselves into his arms. "Xander!" the achingly familiar voice of his dead fiancé scolded. "You're very stupid. Buffy never should have let you come! You'll probably end up dead."

He blinked away a tear and pushed her back a little. She didn't feel the same, like he was touching a really solid ghost. "Look who's talking, Ahn," he managed through a clogged throat. He'd fanaticized every day about what he'd say if he had the chance to say goodbye. But now that the opportunity was literally staring him in the face with big brown eyes, his brain went blank.

They just stared at each other trying to figure out where to start until he saw the tears glistening in her eyes and he realized that she already knew everything and he'd been obsessing over nothing all this time. "So," he said conversationally. "How's the weather where you are?" He made a point of not asking exactly where she was because he didn't think he could handle her answer.

"Not bad," Anya sighed. "Life beyond life is kind of sucky sometimes." There were several more moments of silence that started to turn awkward when she smiled suddenly and said with her usual bluntness, "So you need me to talk some other people into closing this portal thing to keep you all from dying, right?"

"Yeah," he agreed, somehow not surprised that she already knew. His head hurt from how normal the whole thing seemed. "End of the world, yadda yadda."

"You need to make Giles give you a vacation. Make him pay for it. Tell him it's my money and I get to decide what to do with some of it."

Xander stared, pieces falling neatly into place regarding Giles' seemingly unending bank account. "That explains a lot," he beamed. "You have no idea how much help that money's been, Anya. Seriously, you're a total lifesaver." His wording caught up with him and he winced. Xander had actually forgotten that the love of his life was dead for a minute there.

She saw the grief in his expression and wiped away a stray tear that escaped her control. "I have to go," she whispered. She even managed a shaky smile, like she was just going out to get milk or something.

"Yeah," he agreed in a wistful voice. "Go save our butts."

They stayed silent for a silent minute.

Anya shifted and pointed over her shoulder. "So…"

Xander gave in and kissed her. It didn't feel the same, but it was something. It was _goodbye._ When he finally let her go he whispered, " I love you, Anya."

"I love you too," she promised. She turned away into the gathering dark, only to turn back to say, "Xander?"

They were both crying openly now. He cleared his throat a little. "Yeah?"

"Don't get over me right away. It's proper human etiquette to grieve and mope after the passing of a loved one for at least a year."

He smiled despite himself. "I promise," he assured her.

"Don't let him touch the ground. If he does, it's all over." With one last smile, Anya Jenkins waved and disappeared for good.

* * *

Faith looked up at the sky as a particularly loud clap of thunder shook the air. The others in the van traded worried looks.

"Are we there yet?" Andrew called from the back seat.

Robin was already slowing the car down, steering away from a fleeing vampire. They'd passed at least fifty of them in the past ten minutes. "Just over this rise."

The first raindrop hit Rona's hand as she went to get out of the car. The black Slayer yelled and threw herself back into the shelter of the van. The others leaned in to see a burn mark where the drop had landed.

Dawn winced and looked up at the sky too as more water began to fall. Each drop sizzled and bit into the dirt where it landed. "Acid rain? You've _got _to be kidding me."

"We've got a bigger problem!" Vi warned from her seat on the other side of the van. They all looked where she was pointing to see a mob of vampires charging towards them.

Faith took a moment to weigh their options. "Run for it!" she shouted.

Grabbing weapons, jackets and anything else that came to hand, they piled out of the van and sprinted towards the complex.

* * *

Buffy found herself on a hill in the middle of the desert. Vaguely off in the distance she could make out the shape of Brandi's complex. The Slayer turned around a few times, not sure how she'd gotten there. "Mom?" she hazarded.

The voice came from behind her. "Hi, honey."

Buffy was too busy hugging her mother to notice when the rain started. Her tears blurred her vision and she let herself get lost in the feeling of her mom's hand running through her hair, even though the touch wasn't quite right and Buffy knew that this was just a glorified ghost. She pulled back to take a look but that didn't help any; it _looked _just like her. "Mom…"

Joyce pressed a finger to her lips and smiled, her own eyes shining with tears. "It's OK, Buffy. I know you don't remember much of it, but we already had a good long talk about this. And we'll see each other again soon. But I think you have some things you need to tell me."

Buffy managed to clear her throat enough to talk. "It's-it's the portal. You have to close it. I don't know how, but Giles said that only d-" she couldn't use the word, "that only you and the other people coming through it can stop it. Can you do it?"

Joyce nodded serenely. "Leave it to me, honey, this will be easy." She reached out a hand to caress her daughter's cheek. "I'm sorry we didn't get much time, but someone else needed it more. You take care of yourself. And tell Dawn that I love her."

Mother and daughter traded one last long embrace before Joyce pulled back with a little smile. "I love you, Buffy. Be safe." Just before her form completely disappeared, she remembered something. "Oh! Buffy?" When her oldest daughter looked at her expectantly she continued, "This Laurence person is coming through soon. It might take us a while to close the portal. Don't let him touch the ground!" Before Buffy could respond, Joyce Summers was gone. Buffy couldn't wait for the next time she ended up in heaven so they could finish that conversation.

* * *

Xander and Buffy woke up side by side, both on their backs just outside the complex. The Slayer shook her head weakly and stood, only to nearly trip over the Scythe, which was laid neatly at her feet.

Xander roused and groaned. "Whoa," he muttered.

"Seriously," Buffy agreed. She could feel dried tear tracks on her cheeks. She ignored them and helped her friend up. "Where're Willow and Giles?"

"I guess they're not done yet," he said with a shrug. "Giles said that might happen."

Buffy caught sight of the van on the hill just as the people inside it bailed and started sprinting towards the complex. "I told them not to come!" she said indignantly. The two Scoobies waved at their friends.

The acid rain chased Faith and the others into the relative protection of the complex's rusty awning. The dark-eyed Slayer grinned. "Hey B. We miss the party?"

Buffy looked over her fellow Slayer's shoulder at the vampires regrouping on the hill the van was parked on. "Nope. I'd say you're just in time."

* * *

Giles was sitting cross-legged on absolutely nothing when a bright light off to his left finally shone out amidst the gray fog surrounding him. He stood expectantly, hoping his wait was over.

Sure enough, a moment later, she appeared.

Even though he'd been preparing himself for this meeting ever since he realized what he and the others would have to do, the sight of Jenny Calendar looking so alive and vibrant took his breath away. "_Jenny_," he breathed softly.

She smiled at him, coming to a stop with several feet between them. "Rupert," she greeted warmly. "Sorry for the wait." She sensed his question and answered it before he could ask it. "Buffy and Xander are fine. They're already with the others."

Giles relaxed considerably before he realized that she hadn't mentioned someone. "And Willow?"

Jenny's fair face darkened. "Willow…well, she's going to have to deal with some things the rest of you don't. Her energies are complex." She refused to elaborate despite his intensely worried look. With a comforting smile she closed the remaining distance between them and reached up to cup his cheek with one hand. The touch wasn't exactly as he remembered, but he'd been expecting that. He leant into it anyway, his own hand coming up to hold hers as he pressed a kiss to her palm.

Jenny smiled at him again. "She'll be fine, Rupert. The other three sides of the portal are already closed. You did the right thing."

He shook his head helplessly, his green eyes overflowing with too many emotions to put into words.

Just like always, she understood. "We'll have time for all of that later, I promise." She stood on tiptoe and pressed a quick, barely-there kiss to his lips. "Now go do your thing and keep the world from ending. We'll hold down the fort up here until Willow can finish." She stepped away from him, but he didn't drop her hand until she moved too far away for him to hold it any more.

Giles realized he hadn't said more than one word this entire time. "Jenny…"

She just smiled again and shook her head. "Don't let him touch the ground, Rupert, or none of this will matter."

"I know," he heard himself say. Then he was drifting and when he woke up suddenly he found himself sprawled out on the hard dirt ground smack between the complex and the gathering group of vampires.

* * *

Giles joined the others underneath the complex awning in time to turn and see the vampires appearing on every side of the bluffs. The undead forces were at least two hundred strong. The Watcher shared a look with Buffy. This wasn't a fight they could possibly win. Even with the lightning and the rain impeding the approaching army, the Scoobies were drastically outnumbered.

Where was Willow?

* * *

Brandi waited on the complex roof just below the portal, grinning with feverish delight as the black orifice crackled and spewed acid and lightning from its depths. For a while its strength had waned, probably thanks to some pathetic attempt to stop it by the Slayer and her friends, but now it was working again and she heard familiar footsteps echoing from within it.

She ignored the chant that had started up in her head. _Laurence is dead! Laurence is dead! This is wrong, Laurence is dead! _

Brandi stood and waited for her brother to come. "Laurence is alive," she drawled softly. "And no one on God's green earth can stop him now."

* * *

_"So how many spirits or whatever do we have to convince?" Xander questioned._

_"We each only need to sway one spirit to…represent us, for lack of a better term." He pegged them each with a deadly serious look. "But we each must succeed. Four spirits are needed to close the portal, as they will naturally draw their own support from other spirits as they go. If we miss one…"_

_"Kaplooey," Willow confirmed. "Well hey, how hard can that be?" At the incredulous looks she received, she shrugged. "Sorry; too much perky, not enough sincere. I just don't like the whole talking-to-the-dead plan."_

_ "I warned you," Giles muttered. "Ready? _

_

* * *

_

Willow's eyes opened to grayness. The witch turned around in confusion, trying to find something…or someone…to tell her where she was. Then she remembered Brandi and the portal and why she was here and took a deep, shaky breath. "Tara?" she whispered hopefully.

For a long moment nothing happened. Then a light flashed over on her right and she turned that way eagerly, her eyes shining. "Tara?" she called out, stronger this time.

"Not exactly," a voice from behind her replied.

Willow spun again in disbelief, sure her ears were playing tricks on her.

They weren't.

Standing before her, skin and ironic grin intact, was Warren.

"Hi Willow," he greeted wryly. "Long time no see."

* * *

**Author's Note: Cue the scary music! Hopefully that one surprised you a little. I have to say, getting all of these voices right was quite a challenge (especially Anya). Tell me if you think I pulled it off or not. I hope you liked the chapter; it was hard to write but I enjoyed every word of it. One chapter left! Look for it either tomorrow or the next day. **

** The lyrics are from Matchbox 20's song "Downfall". I thought they were appropriate.**

** Drop me a review and tell me what you think! And thanks to everyone who continues to read and comment on this humble fanfiction as it reaches its final hour. I hope you've enjoyed this ride as much as I have. Up for one more?  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_"I was alive and I waited, waited.  
I was alive and I waited for this.  
Right here, right now,  
There is no other place I want to be.  
Right here, right now,  
Watching the world wake up from history…"_

_

* * *

_

Willow stumbled backwards, sure she was having a heart attack. "Why are you here? Where's Tara?"

Warren offered an unconcerned shrug, sticking his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. "She's here. You just can't see her." He saw her incredulous look and widened his eyes sincerely. "No, seriously! It's a balance thing; circle of life or something." He sighed heavily. "What, you think I _want _to be here?"

Willow drew in a shaky breath, willing her tears not to fall. "Can I…can I talk to her?"

Warren looked over at an empty space on Willow's right. After a moment, he nodded. "She can hear you."

* * *

Buffy twirled the Scythe in her hands and tensed as the first vampires started towards them. She gave Dawn a helpless look and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

Her little sister shook her head and managed something that was almost a smile. "It'll work," she said out loud. "We can hold them off until Willow gets done, right?"

"What's taking her so long?" Vi wanted to know. She stepped up next to Dawn and gave Buffy a significant look. Dawn would have protection regardless of what happened next. Buffy smiled gratefully at the redheaded Slayer.

Giles shook his head in bewilderment. "Jenny said that her energies were…complex. What that means I have no idea." His face darkened. "She's been through quite a few changes in the past year; it's impossible to know what she's facing."

Faith was completely still, watching the line of vampires approach. "Looks like this may be it," she murmured to Robin next to her.

He put an arm around her shoulders in silent support for just a moment and kissed her hair before drawing back, holding his sword at the ready. "As long as that portal closes, I guess we did what we came for, right?"

"It's a fitting end for the daring heroes," Andrew agreed. "I really hate facing certain doom," he whined.

Rona stood solid next to him and raised a crossbow to her shoulder. She sighted down the length of her arrow. "Hey, life'll go on. At least we're not the only Slayers anymore."

"No," a heavily accented voice agreed from behind them. Buffy, Giles and Xander turned in shocked recognition. So did Faith, though her reaction was more out of morbid intuition than actual acquaintance.

Kendra smiled at them and bowed her head in greeting. "You are not alone."

* * *

A sick feeling of déjà vu crept over Willow as she turned to the empty space Warren had looked to. She remembered when the First had done this to her. Only this time Tara was really listening. "Tara, baby?" She was at a loss for words. She settled on, "I'm sorry…"

Warren was silent for a moment. Then he said, "She says she knows, and that she heard you before."

The tears were falling before she could stop them. "Before? When the First said she was talking, she really was?"

Warren looked to Tara for confirmation and Willow wished with all her being that she could see her. She waited on baited breath until he said, "She says all but the suicide part, yeah." He raised an eyebrow at her. "The First, huh? That must have been cool."

Relief and joy flooded Willow's heart. Suddenly her way seemed clear. She'd already said goodbye to Tara. Now she needed to deal with her biggest mistake. "Tara? I—we need you to close the portal, OK? I know you can do it. Be an Amazon!" Tears poured from the witch's eyes. "I love you. I always will, you know that. But…but I need to talk to Warren."

Warren stared in surprise. "Me?"

Willow nodded, and then shook her head, thoughts racing. "I know it doesn't matter, but I'm sorry. I'm _so _sorry for what I did to you!" She took a step toward him. She wasn't really sure what she was doing, but she knew that she needed to say this.

Surprisingly enough, Warren didn't yell. He didn't accuse, didn't ask why, and most amazingly to Willow, he apparently didn't hold a grudge. "I deserved it," he said with a bitter coldness in his voice. Willow wasn't sure whether it was directed at her or himself. "I know it, and so do the Powers. Maybe not the flaying part, but the vengeance, yeah. It's that whole circle of life thing again."

"It doesn't matter," she said adamantly. She ignored the tears when they started to fall again. "I've learned a lot since—since then. Life is precious, and I had no right to take yours."

Warren didn't dispute that. He didn't encourage her, either.

Willow wasn't finished. "And I—I wanted to tell you…" she firmly brushed her tears away and stood straight, looking him squarely in the eye. "I forgive you. For killing Tara. It…it took a long time, but I do." Her green eyes shone with sincerity. "I can't ask you to forgive me for what I did, but…well, I just wanted you to know."

For a long moment the two of them just looked at each other, and Willow could almost see the Warren she'd met back in high school instead of the one she'd killed. Almost.

Warren turned to that empty space like he was waiting for something. Apparently he got an answer to his silent question because he nodded slowly. "Good enough," he agreed with whatever Tara had said. His dark eyes pierced Willow's. "What do you want, Willow?"

* * *

Kendra held out her hand expectantly to Buffy. "I believe that you still have my stake, yes?"

The blonde Slayer slapped Mr. Pointy into Kendra's palm without taking her eyes away. "Good to see you," she managed.

"Likewise," Kendra assured her. "But we have little time. I have brought friends."

The figures appeared behind them in the space of a heartbeat. Ranks of young girls stood ready, weapons in hand. They represented all nationalities, not to mention all decades; the variety of dress and skin color was staggering. Buffy realized with an emotion she couldn't place that she was the oldest girl present.

Only Giles could put faces to the names he'd studied all his life, but the rest of them could easily guess who they were seeing. Seventy dead Slayers stood waiting to battle.

Andrew's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "_Cool_!" He said with reverence.

Then Rona shouted, "Heads up!"

Kendra gave a war whoop and charged forward at the approaching ranks of undead, the Slayers behind her following with shouts and threats in their own languages. The battle was on!

* * *

Willow's brow wrinkled in confusion. What did she _want_? What kind of question was that? "I already told you! We need Tara to close the portal."

Warren tilted his head at her. "Is that really what you want?"

She felt lost. "What are you talking about?"

His face lit up with something close to glee. "You don't know, do you?"

Her patience was starting to wear. "Know _what_?"

"If you let the portal open, you can see Tara again. Her and everyone else who died; they'll all come back." He shot a look at the Tara space; Willow had a feeling that she was saying something. Warren's smile faltered briefly at whatever he heard.

"What did she say?" Willow demanded.

He shook off his frown. "It doesn't matter. What's your answer?"

* * *

Giles gave a cry as a vampire knocked him to the ground. From this vantage point he had a momentarily clear view of the sky. He was disturbed to see that the portal was actually growing bigger; the black circle of its mouth was gaping across half the cloudy expanse.

What worried him more was the shadowy form emerging from it. They were out of time; Laurence was here.

Dust showered his face and he looked up as a Slayer that he thought might have lived in the late 1800's reached down to help him to his feet. She said something in Polynesian that he couldn't properly translate before she sprinted off into battle again. The Watcher did a full turn before he saw Buffy fighting three vampires about forty feet away. "Buffy!" he shouted to her over the melee.

Her Slayer hearing caught his cry and she fought her way over to him. "What is it?" Her eyes widened. "Duck!"

He obeyed without question, straightening again after she dusted the vampire who'd been attempting to sneak up on him. "Brandi," he explained like they hadn't been interrupted. "We need to find her. In case…" he shook his head, refusing to say it. "Willow needs more time. We can't let Laurence touch the ground."

Buffy looked around a moment before seeing Kendra and hailing her over. The dead Slayer bowed her head in deference. "How may I assist you?"

"Brandi," Buffy said urgently. "The one who started the spell. Where is she?"

Kendra pointed one long-nailed finger at the roof of the complex. Buffy could see her now that she'd been pointed out. Brandi stood there alone, hair whipping around her face, arms thrown wide as if waiting to embrace her brother as he came down out of the clouds.

Buffy turned to Giles. "Get over there! I'll find Xander!" She looked at Kendra seriously. "Find Dawn! Keep her safe!" She didn't have time to explain who Dawn was, and she belatedly realized that Kendra had never met her. But her fellow Slayer simply nodded in understanding and went to fulfill her duty.

The two Slayers and the Watcher melted back into the battle to go about their business.

* * *

Willow's head was starting to spin. "I'm not going to decide anything until you tell me what Tara said!"

"C'mon, Willow," he taunted. "You've played with death before! What's so different about this?"

"Stop!" the witch's hands turned white as she clenched them into fists. "Let me talk to Tara!"

"You can talk to her all you want if you let her come through with everyone else!" His voice took on the tone of a salesman trying to sell one of those amazing infomercial products. "Things could be just like they were before."

"NO!" Willow shouted loud enough to give Warren pause. "No." New tears burned and fell. "I was wrong to do what I did to Buffy. And to you. And I won't ever do it again."

Warren looked over at Tara and real sympathy seemed to cross his face for a moment. "She's crying," he explained.

Willow held in a sob of her own. "I'm sorry, Tara! But it's the right thing to do and I know you're in a good place now! And I won't take that away from you!" Her teary eyes drifted to Warren and she finished in a whisper, "Not from any of you. It's not my right or anyone else's to play with death. That's why we have to stop Brandi."

Warren seemed touched. He managed a little smile as he told her, "She says she's proud of you…and that she loves you." He cleared his throat gruffly. The irony of his voice saying the words wasn't lost on either of them.

"Thank you," Willow whispered. And she meant it.

He held her eyes. "Yeah," he whispered back. Suddenly his head came up like he was listening to something far away. "Laurence is here," he informed her. "We need to go."

Willow bit her lip. She didn't want them to go; she didn't want to lose this last link to Tara.

Warren looked over to Tara, then back to Willow. "Don't let him touch the ground," he said simply. "Leave the rest to us."

"But…" Willow didn't know what she was going to say.

The next second she was standing at the door of the complex and she realized that there wasn't anything _left_ to say.

* * *

Andrew huddled back against the side of the complex as three big, mean vampires approached him with murder in their eyes. "What've we got here, boys? Looks like a coward to me."

Andrew gave what he would later swear was a manly yell and scrunched into a ball. "Don't kill me!" he pleaded. "I'm too nerdy to die!" Dust rained down on his head and he cracked an eye open to see the hot Slayer with the accent looking down at him.

"You cannot fight," she informed him, reaching down to drag him to his feet. "Stay with me and do not attempt to help me."

Andrew had no choice but to agree and try to keep up.

* * *

Xander skidded to a stop next to Willow and threw his arms around her in a sweaty bear hug. "Can you stop getting yourself almost killed already? You're seriously disturbing my fragile nervous system."

He reeked of blood and dust, but she hugged him back anyway. "Who are all these people?"

"Slayers," he replied with a little shrug that said the whole thing was way too confusing to get into. "Kendra brought them. Apparently they're coming through the portal."

"Oh," Willow said in realization. They watched a tiny Chinese Slayer take down four vampires at once with some kind of karate move that shouldn't even be possible outside of a movie. "Wow."

"Pretty dang cool," he agreed amiably. "So, how'd it go?"

She shook her head slowly. "It was…they said they'd close the portal, but it was going to take a while. And we can't-"

"—Let Laurence touch the ground," Buffy finished as she and Giles jogged to a stop next to them. "We all got the same message."

Willow gave them both a smile, a little embarrassed at the blatantly relieved look on Giles' face. "Where is she?"  
"Roof," Buffy said, pointing a finger above them. "Now how we're supposed to get there-"

"Ladder!" Xander interrupted. "All these old installations have one. Give me a second." He ran inside, Giles following.

Buffy turned to Willow. "You OK?"

"Not even close," the witch assured her with a sigh. "What are we going to do with Brandi? Federal prison?"

Xander and Giles came back carrying an ancient rusty metal ladder.

"I'm afraid that civilian authorities are rather out of the question," the Watcher disagreed. "She hasn't technically done anything _wrong _according to them, and as we can't accuse her of any of the Slayers' murders without showing the government a list that was magickally generated…"

"No police," Buffy finished with a sigh. She looked around at each of them seriously. "I want to know before we go up there. Options?"

Surprisingly, it was Xander who said what was on all their minds. "Kill her." The hardness in his voice earned him some alarmed looks. He shrugged. "Seems like a pretty good option to me."

"Nevertheless," Giles hastily countered, "she is a human being, and as such not under our…jurisdiction, as it were."

"She's commanding an undead army and trying to raise the dead," Xander shot back. "Seems like that falls pretty squarely into the Slay Her camp!"

Willow thought back to her conversation with Warren. "…I don't think we have to do anything."

Giles cut off the beginning of his heated retort mid-sentence and turned to her. "Oh?"

"I think they're going to handle it," the witch said simply.

Xander blinked. "Who's _they_?"

Willow gestured to the ghost Slayers fighting their battle for them. "Them. Whoever else is up there."

The other three processed this. Buffy nodded. "Good enough for me."

She and Giles looked to Xander expectantly. He gave in with a glare. "Fine. But if this turns ugly? I still say killing her is our best bet."

Giles hated that he couldn't disagree. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he said simply. With a dramatic gesture, he offered the ladder to Buffy. "After you."

* * *

Brandi could almost see her brother's face; he was out of the portal now, walking oh-so-slowly out of the clouds towards her like there was an invisible staircase in the air. Her heart was bursting with excitement. Finally, after all her killing and planning, her brother was coming to her.

He was just taking his own sweet time about it. "Come on," she murmured softly. She bounced a little on her toes. "Come on, Laurence."

"You know," a conversational voice said from over on her left, "you really shouldn't talk to yourself. Some people consider that a sign of insanity."

Brandi whipped around in fury to find the Slayer and her three friends standing at the other end of the roof. She had completely forgotten about them in all the excitement and the clangor of the battle below.

Buffy shrugged at her shocked expression. "Just a suggestion."

* * *

Faith ducked one vampire, threw a second one over her shoulder for someone else to deal with and staked a third. She pivoted to keep Dawn, Andrew and their two bodyguards in the corner of her vision. She really didn't need to worry; that Kendra chick was _good_. Faith wondered how long it had taken her to die.

That was the really creepy part about this whole thing: all these Slayers were here because someone else here had died to activate them. Faith was here because Drusilla had killed Kendra. Kendra was here because Buffy had drowned, even if it didn't take. Buffy was here because some other Slayer got killed on patrol. It was a cycle of death on top of death on top of death…

Faith shook her head to clear away her thoughts and charged into another group of vampires. She refused to be on the receiving end of death today.

* * *

Robin ducked and let a Slayer next to him dust the vampire charging at them with something that looked like a sharpened nun chuck. "Thanks," he said out of habit. He hadn't met any Slayers that spoke English yet, but he figured the one time he didn't say thank you, she probably would.

"No prob," the girl responded with a shrug and a heavy New York accent. "You Nikki Wood's kid?"

He nearly choked. "Yeah! Yeah, I am."

She pointed a finger to the northern end of the battlefield. "She's over there."

For a beat he could only stare. Then he was running. "Thanks!" he shouted over his shoulder.

The Slayer didn't hear him; she had already thrown herself back into the fray.

* * *

Brandi's eyes hardened as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Key of Sorrows. "One more step," she warned, "and I drop this."

Buffy looked decidedly nonplussed. "And I should care about that…why?"

Giles cleared his throat discreetly. "Because if it hits the ground and shatters, it's most likely that everything within a two-mile radius will die horrible, painful deaths." When the others stared at him he looked a little guilty and snapped, "Well I'm terribly sorry that I was too preoccupied with everything else to mention it before now!"

Willow patted him sympathetically on the arm. "I forgot too."

Brandi's anger steadily grew at their seeming unconcern. "Y'all are pathetic," she sneered.

"It would appear we are also at a stalemate," Giles reminded her.

"I don't think so," she drawled sweetly. "My big brother's gonna come and beat you up."

Xander had never given much weight to that threat before, but as he looked up into the sky and saw Laurence growing steadily closer, backlit by the still-open portal, he had to admit that maybe Brandi had a point.

Of course, that was the moment that everything went from bad to worse as Brandi pointed a finger at them and a bolt of red lightning shot right towards them from her open hand.

* * *

Robin looked around frantically. A feeling that time was running out started building in his chest; he was worried that he'd miss his chance.

The dust cleared in front of him for an instant, and he saw her. His mother spun and twirled and slayed with a grace that he could match up to foggy memories from his childhood, from hiding in the bushes watching her.

He thought about going over to her, about saying hello or giving her a hug, but he knew there wasn't time. He turned to go, heart hurting, when she shouted to him. "Robin!" He looked back at her and she blew him a kiss. "I love you!"

A smile so big it threatened to hurt his cheek muscles stretched across his face. "You get 'em, Mom!" he shouted back.

Mother and son fought on without another word.

* * *

Willow saw red for a split second before Xander hit her in a tackle and sent them both flying out of the way of the lightning. The witch was pretty sure that she could feel the edges of her sleeves burning, but she was alive so she decided to take what she could get. Xander scrambled to his feet and helped her up. Through the choking smoke and the smell of burning metal, Willow could barely make out Buffy and Giles righting themselves on the other side of the crater.

"Forget something else?" Xander shouted across at them.

"That was _not _in any book I read!" Giles yelled back indignantly. The Watcher ducked much smaller bolt of lightning aimed at his head. The gesture was enough to pull the Scoobies' collective attention back to Brandi and her brother.

Laurence was only thirty feet away from them, moving diagonally through the air towards his sister. From this distance the ridges on his forehead and the undead yellow of his eyes were obvious.

The four Scoobies met behind the steaming crater. Brandi was ignoring them again. She turned to face Laurence, opening her arms as if waiting to scoop him up in a hug.

In a moment of total understanding, Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles all looked at each other. Then the witch turned straight to Brandi and yelled, "_Incende!"_

The fireball that shot from her palm hit Brandi square on. When it died away, Brandi laughed a crazed, triumphant laugh. The flames had been absorbed right into the orb.

Xander muttered a word that Willow didn't want to hear again and started forward. Buffy knocked him out of the way and sprinted towards Brandi instead, raising the Scythe above her head in readiness for a death-giving blow.

Brandi giggled and shot another bolt of lightning at her attacker. Buffy barely dodged it, rolling to the side before springing up again. The Scythe clattered to a stop two feet away from her. Before she could bend to pick it up, Brandi was on her, kicking and punching with crazed strength, still clutching the _Kulcsa Bánat _in her left hand. Buffy went on the defensive; she couldn't risk attacking and making Brandi drop the Key. She gave up ground foot by foot until she balanced precariously on the edge of the roof. Brandi laughed a demented laugh and swung a hefty punch at the Slayer's head in an effort to knock her off.

Behind them, Giles scrambled for the discarded Scythe just as Laurence came within five feet of the roof.

Buffy ducked the maneuver, grabbed Brandi's arm and twisted. A split second later their positions were reversed. Buffy held the girl incapacitated in an arm lock as she casually reached out and plucked the Key of Sorrows from Brandi's hand. "I don't suppose you want to say Uncle?"

"Buffy!" Giles shouted. He threw the Scythe. As she turned her head and reached backwards to grab it, her grip on Brandi lessened just enough.

With an inarticulate scream of desperation Brandi used the last of her madness-induced strength to throw Buffy off of her and spin. She caught the Slayer soundly across the jaw with her fist. A sound like a gunshot echoed from the impact and Buffy got knocked off her feet, losing her grip on the Scythe. Brandi grabbed for the weapon and the two struggled until Buffy was once again balancing unsteadily on the edge of the roof, her heels above nothing but air.

They remained deadlocked for what felt like forever, each with one hand around the Key and another around the handle of the Scythe.

Willow raised a hand to issue another spell, but Xander grabbed her arm and yanked it down. "No! You could hit both of them!"

"Giles?" Willow asked desperately, seeking advice.

The Watcher didn't hear her. He was staring at the tableau before them: his Slayer poised to fall, her enemy's grip on the Scythe getting stronger…and her enemy's brother directly behind. In a moment of crystal clarity, Giles realized exactly what Willow had meant when she said that they didn't have to do anything. "Buffy."

Her eyes met his over Brandi's shoulder and a moment of perfect comprehension passed between them.

Buffy let go of the Scythe.

* * *

Down below them, Dawn looked up just in time to see her sister start to fall. "Buffy!" she screamed. Andrew grabbed her and held her back when she tried to run.

Kendra and Faith stopped their chase of the retreating vampires to look up in unison at Dawn's scream. Every face on the battlefield lifted to watch Buffy wobble dangerously on the edge of the roof.

* * *

Brandi wrenched the Scythe out of Buffy's grasp and stepped back to give it one almighty swing at the Slayer's neck.

Buffy ducked the blade, lost her balance and fell backwards into space.

The Scythe continued on its journey, its momentum too great to be stopped.

* * *

Laurence's mouth opened to say something; perhaps a greeting to his sister just before his foot came to rest on the roof. He never got the chance. The Scythe cut cleanly across his neck and seconds later he was dust on the wind.

Buffy caught the edge of the roof with the very ends of her fingertips and clung there, breathing heavily.

With a cry of anguish, Brandi dropped the Scythe and fell to her knees, stretching out her empty hands to the cloud of ash that had been her brother. "Laurence," she whispered brokenly. "Laurence…"

_Laurence is dead._

High above in the sky, the portal began to collapse.

* * *

Kendra gasped a little as her form faded, came back again and then settled for a half-transparent look somewhere in between. "We must go," she told Faith reluctantly. "You have done well. Continue to do so." She tossed Mr. Pointy into the air and disappeared before it hit the ground.

Faith caught the stake on its way down and looked at the empty space where her predecessor had stood. "You better believe it."

* * *

Robin didn't see his mother fade; he only knew that one moment he was staring at the dust that had been Laurence and when he turned back Nikki Wood and every other dead Slayer was gone. He felt like he should have been expecting it.

* * *

Giles pulled Buffy up onto the roof and hugged her tightly for just a second before tugging her back from the edge as far as he could. "I'm afraid that you're giving me a fear of heights," he told her with giddy relief in his voice.

"Tell me about it," she said ironically. Willow and Xander rushed forward to meet them and the four of them stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the pathetically crumpled figure of Brandi shake and shiver in the dieing light of the portal. A few stray spurts of lightning spewed from the small dark orifice into the rapidly graying sky.

Buffy would never be exactly sure of what happened next, but if she had to guess she would have said that Brandi knew the lightning was coming, saw it burning towards her and stayed exactly where she was. In any case, that night Brandi joined her brother and the Key of Sorrows went with her. Where exactly they went, no one ever wanted or tried to discover.

The portal closed with a massive burst of crimson light and a sound so impossibly, unbearably loud that it rattled the desert floor and dropped every person who heard it to their knees.

When the light finally cleared and the shockwaves from the sound rumbled off into the distance, Andrew raised his head and rolled off of Dawn, who he'd been shielding with his body out of some kind of protective instinct he didn't really want to think about. He helped her to her feet. "Hey, we survived!"

Andrew was totally unprepared for the hug she grabbed him into, but he returned it anyway and smiled at her happy squeals. He also didn't complain when she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the others. But really, what else was he supposed to do?

* * *

Robin yanked Faith to her feet and kissed her hard. "You're amazing," he told her breathlessly.

She laughed and told him, "You're insane."

The words _I love you _weren't exactly spoken, but the intent was close enough.

The couple met up with Andrew and Dawn at the entrance and found Rona and Vi already waiting for them at the base of the ladder.

* * *

Up on the roof, the four Scoobies lay shoulder to shoulder in an exhausted line.

Xander rolled over to look at Giles. "Vacation," he said simply. "Your treat." With a groan he let his head fall back to the hard metal beneath him.

Giles sat up and gave Willow a hand next to him. "I hear Rome is lovely this time of year," he said with a significant look in Buffy's direction.

"Their housing market is great too," Willow agreed eagerly.

"I don't care where we go," Buffy told them. She stood and stretched before bending down to pick up the Scythe. Twirling the weapon in her hands, she returned to her friends and smiled a genuine, happy, I-get-to-have-a-life smile. "Life is good, and I want to enjoy it for once."

A moment later Dawn's head popped over the edge of the roof. "Did we win?"

Amidst the massive group hug and congratulations that followed, Giles felt a warm breeze on his face and looked out at the warming sky as night was banished and morning arrived.

Xander punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Thinking already, G-man? Let us enjoy ourselves, would ya?"

Giles glared at him good-naturedly before softening and looking around at this family he'd been blessed with. "Life is good," he said with sincerity.

He looped one arm around Willow's shoulder and the other around Buffy's. "Who wants to go to Rome?"

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: Some ride, huh? Don't worry, there's an epilogue yet that wraps up some loose ends, but this baby is DONE! A thousand thanks to everyone who read this and a thousand more to those who reviewed. Life is indeed good, our heroes have won yet again and Jesus Jones own the lyrics. **

**Cheers.  
**


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_"To life, to life, l'chai-im!_  
_L'chai-im, l'chai-im, to life!_  
_Life has a way of confusing us_  
_Blessing and bruising us,_  
_Drink l'chaim,_  
_To life…"_

_

* * *

_

The house was quiet. Its empty rooms were full of boxes, none of them unpacked yet. There was more than enough space here for five people with few possessions and even fewer expectations. Paying in cash up front hadn't hurt the Scoobies' quick closing on the house, either.

Giles knew the quiet wouldn't last for long, but at the moment he didn't care. With a heavy sigh, he set down the last box of his books and sat heavily on it, looking around at the room that he'd claimed for his study. All it needed was a little paint on the walls, a desk in the corner and some decent lighting and it would feel just like home. He looked down at the single book he'd found earlier and set on his desk to deal with. Reaching out with a finger, he traced the letters in the worn leather cover absently, remembering Buffy's face when she'd seen it.

Somehow it only seemed right that this book that had started it all eight years ago in the Sunnydale Library be the first one on his new bookshelf. He placed _Vampyr_ in its place of honor and then returned to his seat on the box, lost in thought.

Buffy tapped on the door and entered with a soda for herself and a cup of tea for him. He smiled gratefully at her and took the preferred cup, gesturing with it towards the bookshelf. "I started unpacking."

"One book doesn't count." Buffy went over to it and traced the letters on the spine just like he had. "I don't think I've seen this since you slammed it down in front of me." She pulled up another box, sat, and popped open her soda can.

They both took several sips in silence before Giles said, "I do wonder..."

"Whether the whole Laurence making peace with the Slayer thing was really on the level?" Buffy finished for him. He smiled a little at the way she'd read his mind. At his nod she shrugged. "It'd be the first time! I guess we'll never know..." The silence grew heavy. In her classic manner, Buffy completely changed the subject. "Dawn wants to paint her room periwinkle."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, gladly moving onto lighter topics. "I'm not at all convinced that periwinkle is an actual color, but if she wants it then I suppose there's no stopping her."

"Pretty much what I said," his Slayer agreed. "Xander said they were going to stop at the store and pick up some nails for those shelves Willow needs for her room after they got done paint shopping."

Giles nodded slowly and looked around, a satisfied expression on his face. "It's a good house," he said thoughtfully.

Buffy rolled her eyes affectionately. "I liked Rome! But it doesn't hurt that this place is only like three blocks down from where you lived before. I can't believe that after all the air miles you spent coming to California we all ended up in England anyway."

"The irony does not escape me," he assured her. He sipped his tea and sighed happily. "Heard from the others?"

"Andrew is now officially rooming with Kennedy, which I would pay good money to see, but Faith says they're getting along really well." She took another long drink of her soda before continuing, "Rona started up the Slayer Program that Willow sent her and she says it's working. She's already found like six more Slayers in her area, and Vi's got four. Once everyone else has them this thing should be a cinch." She seemed mildly uneasy. Giles understood why.

"It's almost _too _easy, isn't it?" he said wistfully.

"Almost," she agreed.

He smiled knowingly at her and leaned back comfortably on his box. "There's quite a lot of work to be done, you know. We have to set up some sort of training facility for the Slayers around the world, find the ones in our own area, completely furnish this house and somehow convince Dawn to go back to school in the fall. Not to mention that another apocalypse is doubtless on its way even as we speak." At her glare he shrugged innocently. "Not necessarily in that order, of course."

Buffy laughed and he laughed with her. At some point his hand came to rest on her shoulder and he left it there. When they finally managed to collect themselves, Buffy raised her soda can and looked at her Watcher seriously. "To the people that got us here," she said solemnly.

Giles looked to the one book on his shelf before he raised his teacup and touched it to her can. "To those we've lost," he agreed softly. "And to the life they gave us."

They drank the rest in silence.

-FIN-

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**(The Very Last) Author's Note: If this wasn't quite the ending you were looking for, I'm terribly sorry. It's very hard to find something emotionally satisfying after how far this story has taken us, but I think this little scene fit the bill. The lyrics are from Fiddler on the Roof.**

**...What more is there to say? 112 Microsoft Word pages, countless hours of writer's block, untold gallons of coffee and over 61,000 words later, this little thing that was supposed to be a one-chapter b/g moment turned into all of this. To those of you who have read this all the way through, thank you. I cannot possibly say that enough. To those of you who took the time to review, well...I just hope that this story made your day half as much as your comments made mine.**

**Those Loved and Lost is officially at its end, and I'm ready to move on to greener (not to mention shorter) pastures. Look for upcoming Buffy stories soon; I have several in the works. Whether any of them will be this long or fun to write, who can tell? **

**An author's commentary on this story will be available at the beginning of March; if you're interested in reading about how I got my ideas, why I wrote the things I did and the general insanity that went into this story (or if you're just really bored and need something to put you to sleep at night) message or email me and I will be more than happy to send you a copy when I finish it.**

**I'm procrastinating on this because I don't want it to be over, but I have other things to do and all good things really must come to an end. ...Not to mention that for the first time in fourteen months, I can get some sleep without wondering how Buffy and her friends are going to get out of the most recent mess I've put them into.**

**So good night to all, and may your own dreams be peaceful. **

**Cheers.**


	22. Bonus Epilogue

**Bonus Epilogue**

_ "It's not that we don't care,  
We just know that the fight ain't fair.  
So we keep on waiting,  
Waiting on the world to change…"_

_

* * *

_

For a long time, the other members of the Scooby household just stared at Dawn like she was absolutely, unconditionally insane. The information she had just thrust upon them was simply too much to comprehend, especially when the end of the world had only been avoided two weeks ago. After a few minutes of blank stares, the younger Summers sister made an impatient noise and crossed her arms defensively across her chest. "Come on! It's not _that _weird."

That seemed to snap Xander and Willow out of their dazes. The young man mouthed silently until he finally managed to articulate his intense shock. "You're…you're dating Andrew."

"Long distance," Willow reminded him weakly. They both looked shell-shocked.

Dawn sighed heavily. "Yes! Now would you two get over it already?"

"No," Xander replied instantly. "No. I will not _ever _get over this. Not even when you two get married and have nerdy genius babies and start calling me Uncle Xander. This will _never _be OK and holy crap that was the most disturbing mental image _ever!_" He put his face in his hands and moaned weakly. Willow patted him on the back reassuringly.

"It really was," Buffy agreed, looking rather ill. She pegged her sister with a stern glare.

Before the Slayer could start off on a rant, Dawn cut her off. "He promises that he'll never hurt me, that he can't dump me but I can dump him at any time, that he has to send me daily reports on everything he does and that when he comes out this summer he'll take me on a real date." She smiled dreamily, and the expression was so sincere it almost hurt to look at. "Besides, didn't you say I could do way worse than a guy who likes me and wants what's best for me?"

Buffy actually smiled at that. She was also dangerously close to tearing up as she stood and wrapped Dawn in a firm embrace. "Yeah," she agreed at last. "Yeah, you could do a _lot _worse." She pulled back and gave her a glare. "But you are so busted for not telling me about this beforehand. What happened to the Summers date-tell-all pact?"

"There's no date to talk about yet," Dawn reminded her. The teen looked over her sister's shoulder to Giles. "And he said to tell you thanks." The others traded confused glances as the Watcher and the teenager shared a moment of understanding. Then Dawn broke the moment with a happy squeal and dashed out of the room. "I have a boyfriend!"

"Who you are _not _going to call long-distance!" Buffy shouted after her. It was too late. Upstairs they could hear Dawn's door slam.

Xander rose hastily from the couch and hurried after her. "I'm going to…" he reached for an excuse, only to give up immediately. "…Eavesdrop shamelessly on her conversation. Care to join me?"

Willow was already on his heels. "If you distract her I can pick up the other phone without her noticing." The two friends left the room.

Buffy watched after them a moment before turning to Giles, who had remained remarkably silent throughout the entire ordeal. He sat quietly on the couch, looking off into the distance. He hadn't moved once in the last fifteen minutes. "You already knew, didn't you," she realized with a sigh. She sat heavily on the couch next to him.

His green gaze drifted over to her and he smiled. "Andrew called me last week to ask my permission. Something along the lines of, 'I have no idea where her real Dad is, and since you're less scary than Buffy and this is kind of a man thing, I thought I should ask you.'"

Buffy shook her head in amusement. "They're going to be a really cute couple, aren't they."

"Almost unbearably so," he agreed with mock disappointment. They shared a grin before he said honestly, "It's high time that someone in this house had a successful romantic relationship. And she could do far worse. Andrew is a good boy, rapidly growing into an equally fine man. They'll take good care of each other."

His Slayer raised an impressed eyebrow. "Wow. I would have killed to get that endorsement for one of _my _dates back in high school."

Giles' lips twitched into a smile despite his best efforts to remain serious as he said, "If you had dated someone like Andrew when you were Dawn's age, I would have questioned your sanity. I'm relatively sure that understanding every other word a man says is important in your relationships."

Buffy looked him over critically for a moment. When she answered, her tone was more serious than the situation warranted. "It never stopped me from being around _you_…"

His eyes came up to meet hers in surprise. For a long moment the two of them sat frozen, locked in a gaze that did nothing to diffuse the tension suddenly zinging through the room. Giles cleared his throat rather nervously and leaned back a little, lessening their physical proximity, if not their sudden emotional closeness. "Yes, well." He whipped off his glasses and polished them furiously. "We have never had what could be called a conventional relationship. Or even one that could be defined at all, really."

"Not by anyone else, anyway."

At her comment he looked up again, eyes unhindered by his glasses this time. "Oh?"

Buffy reached out and put her hand over both of his, encasing his fingers and his glasses in her grasp. "Watcher," she said simply. "Slayer." She smiled widely at him and scooted closer to rest her head against his shoulder, leaving her hand where it was. "It makes perfect sense to me."

His arm reached across her shoulders seemingly of its own volition. Giles felt her weight settle against him and smothered a smile even though he knew she couldn't see it. "I'm afraid that explanation will seem very odd the rest of the world, which might question what exactly a middle-aged man is doing living in a household full of young people."

"It'll catch up eventually," Buffy said with a confidence in her voice that made Giles wonder what she knew that he didn't.

"And if it doesn't?" He murmured into her golden hair.

She snuggled deeper into his side and draped an arm across his stomach. "Screw it. The world owes us one anyway."

"At least," he agreed with a silent laugh. Sitting here, with Buffy safely in his arms and the rest of his makeshift family happy and finally at rest, Giles could almost understand what _happily ever after _felt like.

Giles dropped a kiss onto Buffy's crown and rested his cheek against her head. "You really are quite something," he told her with warm affection in his voice.

Her tone was equally affectionate. "Likewise, Watcher-mine."

For a long moment, he was torn between what he wanted to say and what was expected of him. For the first time in a long time, what he wanted to do won. "Yes," he whispered. "Yours."

The word hung there, a simple statement of fact amidst the golden sunshine of England in early fall, and it looked so right there that neither of them tried to recall it or sweep it away. They let it stay, marking a new chapter in their history.

They'd never been accused of waiting around for the world to catch up to them anyway. It seemed a shame to start now.

* * *

**The Very Last (for real this time!) Author's Note: I know, I know, I said I was done. But I wrote a B/G bonus epilogue for my author's commentary and it seemed a shame not to post it. The lyrics belong to John Mayer.**

** The first installment of my author's commentary is officially ready for sending! I say "first installment" because it turned out to be so absolutely, ridiculously long that I'm packaging it in easier-to-read six-chapter increments. If you'd like me to email it to you, just say the word (or wait for me to do it if you've already mentioned it in a review). A new Buffy story not quite as long as this one will start posting in late June. A sneak preview of the first chapter is included with the commentary!**

** Cheers!**


End file.
